Mina the Hollower, Yacht Club Games’ long-awaited follow-up to Shovel Knight, has been released to critical acclaim. The retro-inspired hit currently stands as the top-rated game of the year on Metacritic. This came after a sometimes tumultuous development cycle including delays and downsizing for the studio. We spoke with David D’Angelo, the lead programmer for Mina the Hollower, about the game’s journey to release, its surprising inspirations, and how it approaches difficulty for a top-down souls-like.