Hey there, burrow buddies!

We cannot believe it has already been 3 weeks since we debuted Mina the Hollower and her Kickstarter campaign! We are beyond thankful for all the love and support we’ve received these past few weeks. As a big thank you, we’ve put together a challenge for you to take on at home….

Welcome to Tenebrous Isle, Twitch!

Can you work together to explore the Crypt’s cavernous catacombs in Mina the Hollower? Let’s find out! For all transparency, this event is experimental. We do not have any idea if it is possible to complete the demo through community command. Inputs can be a little complicated and the demo is a bit unstable so, do not get disheartened if things get a little hairy…(Get it? Hairy…cause she’s a mouse!). Anyways…we hope that you enjoy messing around as Mina!

Click Here To Join Twitch Plays Mina!!!!

If you have additional questions on how to play, join our Discord! We have a chat set up just for it!

What is “Twitch Plays”?

Before we jump into things, it is important to acknowledge the talented folks who came up with this Twitch-based social activity! “Twitch Plays” is not our idea! It started out as a social experiment that tasked an entire group with playing Pokemon Red!"

It has expanded to many other types of games and it is a fun way to chaotically play as a group! 

How To Play

Commands are inputted through Twitch Chat. Our bot reads those commands and “plays” the game. Take your time as you get the hang of it, the game's clock is paused in-between inputs!

Basic Controls

You will have to input the basic controls in a certain manner for the bot to read the command. Make sure to keep reading till the end!

• Main Attack (Nightstar) - Y

• Jump - B

• Burrow - Hold B

• Heal (Plasma Vial) - A

• Sidearm - X

• Talk to NPC - Y

• Interact with Object - Y

How to Control the Bot

To control Mina, you’ll need to type a command in the Twitch chat box. Each command is a sequence of [number of frames] and [inputs to hold].

• Frames: Any number up to 600

• Inputs to hold: These can be either Action Button Commands or Directional Commands.

  Action Button Commands: A,B, X, Y

  Directional Commands: Up(U), Down(D), Left (L), Right (R) 

Examples of [number of frames] and [inputs to hold]:

• If you want to go right for 100 frames, you'd type "100r" (100 Frames Right.)

• To go diagonal, you'd type "50ru" (50 Frames Right Up.)

You can input even longer sequences with multiple commands! Separate the commands with a space!

For Example:

• If you want to walk around the area, you'd want to go "60 Frames Right, 60 Frames Down, 60 Frames Left, and 60 Frames Up" this is abbreviated as "60r 60d 60l 60u"

Note: Try to be mindful when inputting long strings of commands! If you aren't careful, you might accidentally hurt yourself!

How to attack twice in a row

Normally when playing a game, there are frames in-between each button press! Our bot needs you to input those (woops). 

For example: You want Mina to take down that baddie with her Nightstar. To attack, you’ll need to input “10 Frames Y Button”. To continue attacking your input needs to include 50 Frames in-between your next “10 Frames Y Button” input. The complete input would be written like this: “10Y 50 10Y 50”.  This might feel confusing at first, but you’ll get the hang of it… we promise!

Note: There is a frame limit of 600 Frames. This prevents people from abusing the commands!

Voting

To successfully explore the Crypt you’ll need to work together! Every input counts as 1 vote. Whichever commands get the most inputs is the one that gets forwarded into the game.

After a few seconds, the winning input will be selected. If input votes are tied, the first input will win.

Understanding the HUD

1. Weapon: Mina’s currently equipped weapon (Note: In the demo, the Nightstar is the only weapon available)

2. Sidearm: Find and swap different Sidearms as you explore. Using Sidearms consumes Joules, so use them wisely and collect more as you run low! 

3. Plasma Vial: Use a Plasma Vial to heal any Plasma (Yellow Meter) in Mina’s Health Bar. Plasma Vials can be found in the field or refilled in your Underlab. 

4. Health/Plasma Bar: Mina’s health is shown here in red. Plasma is down in yellow. When Mina runs out of health, she dies and returns to her Underlab. 

5. Spark Orb: An Orb of Mina’s own invention holds her Spark of Life. If Mina dies without a Spark, she loses her Bones. 

6. Bones: Bones are both Mina’s currency, and experience! Collect Bones to level up, or spend them in a shop - it’s up to you. 

7. Kears: Kears can unlock locked blocks and doors. 

8. Bones Until Bone Up: This number tells you how many Bones you need to Bone Up! 

9. Enemy Health Bar: The health of the last enemy you attacked appears here.

Tips & Tricks

Become a Hollower 

• Burrowing is key. Dive underground to escape from enemy attacks, move faster, jump farther and uncover secrets. 

Treasure Your Trinkets 

• Remember to equip your Trinkets at any Trinket Chest in the Underlab! They’ll give you the upper hand and they’re fun to experiment with too! 

Heal when you can 

• Your Plasma Vial will heal all of the yellow health on your health bar. The easiest way to get more yellow health is to strike enemies. Any damage you do to an enemy becomes yellow health which you can heal back. 

Spam those Sidearms 

• Get creative with Sidearms! They can be very powerful when combined with proper positioning. 

Search for Secrets 

• Be on the lookout for extra Bones in secret spots everywhere. You’ll Bone Up much more quickly!

Good luck, Hollower-hopefuls!

For more info about our game and our Kickstarter campaign, visit MinaTheHollower.com!

Want even more Mina the Hollower fun? Enter our art contest!