Mina The Hollower’s Quirky Modifiers Bring Exciting Gameplay Twists

I recently completed Mina the Hollower without using any modifiers, and I’m not sharing this to boast; it was simply the kind of experience I wanted. Now, however, I’m diving into the game with every modifier I can find just to see how wild things can get.

For those who might not know, Mina the Hollower features a variety of modifiers that you can toggle in the menu to alter gameplay. Activating certain modifiers, especially those that make the game easier, will prevent you from earning achievements. That’s why I suggest duplicating your save file into a second slot, as I did, so you can experiment without affecting your main progress. Before completing the game, there are 65 modifiers available, and after that, you can unlock over 200. These range from simple color changes to making Mina completely invincible, and you can switch them on and off anytime you pause. There are organized lists to help you choose: one for easier modifiers, another for harder ones, and a third simply labeled “Weird.”

Using these modifiers is a blast, especially after finishing the game without any tweaks. The “Weird” modifiers are particularly entertaining. After all the challenging platforming, I had a fantastic time heading to the modifiers menu, enabling everything that made the game easier or just plain bizarre, and running around. You can burrow underground infinitely and move at lightning speed, disable falling into pits to walk in the sky, or make enemies only attack if you strike first. You can enjoy floatier jumps, higher leaps, or even make the screen shake with every enemy hit. You can turn the game into a neon wonderland or have the color palette shift every time you enter a new room.

My absolute favorite modifier is the one that enlarges Mina to 1.5 times her normal size. Why is this an option? Who knows! It might offer some gameplay advantages or disadvantages—it seems easier to hit enemies but also easier to get hit—but mostly, it’s just hilarious. Look at me! I’m a giant, invincible Mina! Tremble before me!

Things get even crazier in New Game+ after you’ve completed the game once. I won’t spoil anything with gifs, but the “Weird” modifiers in New Game+ are off the charts. You can make bones bounce around when they drop, give Mina a dance animation while idle, inexplicably place enemies in candles, reverse controls, turn your morning star into a grappling hook, enlarge enemies, make the screen spin constantly (which is a nightmare), and so much more. There’s even a modifier that activates something called “Pranks,” but I haven’t dared to try it yet.

It’s fantastic that Mina the Hollower offers so many options for players to tailor their experience, whether they want an easier, more accessible game or a tougher, more thrilling challenge. Even if you’re just an average player like me, consider making a copy of your save file and having some fun with the modifiers in one slot. You’ll be amazed at the ridiculous things the game can do. More games should embrace modifiers, and more should let me play in a “Weird” mode after I’ve completed them once. Life is short—who cares if I’m 1.5 times the normal size in a video game!