Unlocking the secret ending in Mina the Hollower seems like a long shot for me.

Mina the Hollower features a secret ending, which is hardly surprising given the game’s plethora of optional quests and bosses that can be tackled in any order—or skipped entirely. True to the game’s style, unlocking this secret ending is quite the challenge, perhaps even overly so for some players.

YouTuber ChickenSoup has been exploring the hidden aspects of Mina the Hollower, including the effects of equipping all the Beastium trinkets. Recently, they uncovered the secret ending by discovering what happens if you avoid giving Lionel any reason to condemn Mina towards the conclusion. They shared a video detailing all the actions you must avoid to achieve this ending, and the list is extensive.

We haven’t had the chance to test this method ourselves, as Mina is a lengthy game. However, according to ChickenSoup, anything that Lionel can accuse Mina of must be avoided. This includes:

You also can’t:

Additionally, you need to rescue the three kids in Septemburg (which is worth doing anyway for a nice trinket), provide bones to all the beggars who ask for assistance, and request Cappy to join you after the ship crashes at the beginning.

Essentially, the “don’t do this” list eliminates most of Mina’s side quests and optional trinkets. Completing the game under these conditions is tough but possible. ChickenSoup also identified another requirement for unlocking the secret ending: you must not destroy any lamps or candles. Doing so will lead Lionel to consider it as damaging the island, which is a big no-no for the obedient animal soldiers.

Destroying lamps never yields any rewards, but breaking a candelabra typically grants you new sidearms or joules. The placement of these items makes it challenging to avoid accidentally smashing one during combat. Personally, I tend to flail around and break everything without meaning to, so achieving this ending seems unlikely for me, even with modifiers.

If you successfully navigate all these restrictions, Lionel’s friends will refrain from criticizing you at the end, and Lionel will invite you to join his quest to improve the world (for his benefit). Accepting this offer leads to a different credits sequence and a new post-credits scene.