If you have taken a few unnecessary hits to the chin on Tenebrous Isle, you aren't alone in wondering how to separate jump and burrow Mina the Hollower. By default, Yacht Club Games tied both of these crucial movement mechanics to a single button: you tap "A" (or Spacebar) to jump, and you hold it to burrow underground. While this honors the classic Game Boy Color two-button aesthetic, it leads to frustrating misinputs where you accidentally dive into the dirt instead of leaping over a charging enemy.
Currently, there is no native toggle in the game’s settings to unbind them. However, you can bypass this clunky setup using Steam Input macros or elite controller mapping to assign a dedicated "burrow" key. Here is the definitive guide to taking back control of your platforming.
The Core Problem: Why Players Ask How to Separate Jump and Burrow Mina the Hollower
Mina’s adventure through the "Stomach Mines" and "Loner's Landing" is built entirely around verticality and split-second dodging. The problem stems from the game's input parsing. When you press the jump button, the game waits a fraction of a second to see if you are holding it. If you hold it past the threshold, Mina dives underground, gaining temporary invulnerability but locking you into an animation. If you release it quickly, she jumps.
In high-stress combat—like trying to dodge a charging beast while your "Plasma Vials" are empty—players often grip their controllers tighter, inadvertently turning a tap into a hold. You end up burrowing right into an enemy's damage hitbox instead of leaping over it to use your "Nightstar" whip. This shared button economy is the single biggest complaint on Steam Community boards and Reddit, driving players to seek workarounds.
PC Workaround: How to Separate Jump and Burrow Mina the Hollower Using Steam Input
If you are playing on PC, Steam Input is your best friend. You can essentially trick the game into thinking you have a dedicated burrow button by creating a macro that automatically applies a "Long Press" to the jump key.
Here is the step-by-step method to map it:
- Open your Steam Library, right-click Mina the Hollower, and select Properties > Controller > Controller Configurator.
- Select an unused button on your controller (for example, the Right Trigger or a back paddle).
- Map this button to "A" (or whatever your default jump button is).
- Click the gear icon next to this new mapping and select Show Activators.
- Change the Activation Type from "Regular Press" to "Long Press".
- Reduce the Long Press Time slider to its absolute minimum.
Now, your standard "A" button remains your quick jump, but pulling the Right Trigger instantly sends a sustained "Hold A" signal to the game, causing Mina to immediately dive into the earth. This allows you to completely separate the mental load of jumping and burrowing.
Console Limitations: Can You Learn How to Separate Jump and Burrow Mina the Hollower on Xbox or Switch?
Console players have a tougher time. The base game features an incredibly robust "Modifiers menu"—allowing you to tweak difficulty by enabling "Floatier Jumps," increasing Mina’s sprite size, or adjusting attack damage—but as of the May 2026 launch build, Yacht Club Games has not included a native toggle to split the movement inputs.
If you are on an Xbox Series X/S or using an Xbox Elite Controller, you can use the Xbox Accessories app to map the jump button to a back paddle, but you cannot change the actuation time like you can on Steam. You still have to manually hold the paddle to burrow. The same applies to the Nintendo Switch system-level button remapping. Until a future patch introduces a dedicated keybind option, console players must rely on mastering the rhythm of the shared input.
The Design Philosophy: Game Boy Nostalgia vs. Modern Precision
To understand why you even have to ask how to separate jump and burrow Mina the Hollower, you have to look at Yacht Club Games' design philosophy. The studio built its reputation on Shovel Knight, a game that meticulously recreated the constraints of the NES era. Mina the Hollower shifts that nostalgia forward to the Game Boy Color era.
The original Game Boy Color only had an A and B button, alongside a D-pad and Start/Select. To stay true to that hardware limitation, the developers forced a vast array of mechanics—attacking, sidearms, jumping, burrowing, and interacting—onto a very constrained layout. "A" became the universal movement button, handling both aerial leaps and subterranean dives.
However, modern players are accustomed to dual-stick controllers with four shoulder buttons and four face buttons. When navigating the treacherous oscillating spike traps of the Stomach Mines, the brain naturally wants a dedicated trigger for a dedicated action. The friction comes from the clash between retro design authenticity and modern quality-of-life expectations. While the developers succeeded in making a game that feels like a 1999 classic, the sheer speed of the enemies on Tenebrous Isle often demands a level of input precision that a shared button struggles to provide.
In-Game Alternatives: Modifiers and Trinkets to Ease the Clunk
If you cannot use Steam Input to force the separation, you can lean on Mina the Hollower’s RPG mechanics to make accidental burrows less punishing. The game is designed to let you build your way out of frustration.
First, equip the Recall Disc sidearm. If you accidentally jump instead of burrowing and fling yourself over a massive chasm, throwing the Recall Disc allows you to teleport to its location, saving you from a fatal fall. It costs 3 Joules per use, but it is an absolute lifesaver.
Second, visit the Modifiers menu in the main pause screen. While you cannot unbind the controls, turning on "Floatier Jumps" gives you slightly more airtime. This wider window makes it easier to recover if you accidentally tap instead of hold. Additionally, ensure you are upgrading your Spark Generators efficiently so your health pool is large enough to absorb the inevitable hits when a burrow input fails to register in time.
Mastering the "Burrow Jump" When Buttons Are Tied
Even if you figure out how to separate jump and burrow Mina the Hollower on PC, you still need to master the "Burrow Jump." This is the mechanic where you release the burrow button while underground to launch Mina further than a standard jump.
The game’s prologue at Loner’s Landing specifically teaches this by forcing you to dive under a wooden barrier and pop out across a gap. If you have separated the inputs via macros, remember that you must release your new macro button to trigger the pop-out. If you just let go of the directional pad, Mina will stay underground until her air runs out. Treat burrowing not just as an evasion tactic, but as your primary momentum builder for boss fights.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is there an official patch coming to separate jump and burrow? As of the May 2026 release, Yacht Club Games has not confirmed a specific patch to separate the inputs natively, though player feedback on the Steam Community forums has heavily requested it.
Does separating the buttons disable achievements? No. Using Steam Input or the Xbox Accessories app to remap your controller happens at the system level. The game simply reads it as standard controller inputs, so your achievements remain perfectly safe.
What is the best controller to play Mina the Hollower on PC? Any controller with back paddles (like the Xbox Elite Series 2 or an 8BitDo Ultimate) is highly recommended. Mapping the Steam Input "Long Press" macro to a back paddle gives you a dedicated burrow button without taking your thumbs off the movement sticks.
While the shared button economy is a charming nod to the 8-bit era, modern action-platforming demands precision. By utilizing Steam Input or leaning heavily on in-game crutches like the Recall Disc and Modifiers menu, you can mitigate the clunkiness. Until Yacht Club Games adds a native toggle, these workarounds are your best bet for conquering Tenebrous Isle without burying yourself by mistake.
Sources
- Shacknews: Mina the Hollower Controls & Keybindings
- GameSpot: How to Navigate the Stomach Mines
- IGN: Loner's Landing Prologue Walkthrough
- Steam Community Forums: Player Input Feedback (May 2026)