I couldn't tear myself away from this world. Mio: Memories in Orbit is a Metroidvania with a soul

Mio: Memories in Orbit, continues that artistic spirit—this time through rich color and textured environments.

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Mio is a Metroidvania, a genre that’s become increasingly crowded, meaning developers really need to deliver something distinctive to stand out. Fortunately, Mio does just that. Its world instantly pulled me in—not just because of how beautiful and immersive it looks, but also because its mechanics strike a fine balance between challenge and curiosity-driven exploration.

An Immersive Vessel To Explore

The demo I played ran about an hour and a half, giving me a solid taste of the game’s structure and gameplay. As expected from the genre, progression relies on traversing interconnected zones, unlocking new abilities to backtrack into previously unreachable areas, and fending off a variety of enemies. While the formula is familiar, Mio stands apart thanks to its stunning presentation.

Right from the opening, the game looks spectacular. The intro cutscene seamlessly transitions into gameplay—I didn’t even realize I had control until I finally moved my controller. The world unfolds within a massive technological ark called the Vessel, whose AI caretakers have mysteriously ceased to function. While its setting leans heavily on sci-fi, the game surprises with lush forests, icy ruins, and watery areas—some of which were just out of reach in the demo.

You play as Mio, a nimble robot waking from slumber to investigate the Vessel’s breakdown and prevent its collapse. The story starts off vague, but you eventually meet a robotic caretaker who tasks you with collecting energy or “nacre” to help reconnect it to the Vessel’s systems. Only then do you gain access to a map. Until that point, exploration feels raw and intuitive, which adds to the intrigue.

Risk, Reward, and Robots

That early portion of the game is both fun and risky. I only found one main checkpoint, or Network Gate, early on, which meant I had to return there to heal and save. Losing progress—along with the nacre—after a tough run made each excursion tense and meaningful. While you can spend nacre at certain points to heal, true progress only saves at these gates.

As I explored, I discovered modifiers for Mio—ive upgrades that require space in her Allocation Matrix. Early on, I only had room to equip a simple health bar display. Later, I expanded the matrix to slot in more useful modifiers like a temporary shield or one that reveals enemy health bars—because you don’t even get that option until you choose to equip it. It’s a clever system that makes every upgrade feel like a small step deeper into Mio’s strange, robotic world.

The first true new power I found turns Mio’s "hair" into a hook-shot, letting her grapple to floating orbs to reach new heights. She’s also very agile: capable of double jumping, and if she lands a hit on an enemy mid-air, she gains another jump—meaning you can chain attacks into extended aerial sequences with good timing. Enemies, mostly other robots, each have distinct attack patterns, and even the early ones caught me off guard more than once. The two boss fights I faced demanded patience and precision—the second one in particular stood out, thanks in part to a dramatic vocal-driven soundtrack that elevated the last bit of his health bar.

Mystery drives much of Mio’s appeal. Even without a map for much of the demo, I found myself obsessively combing every corner of the Vessel. Hidden ledges tucked behind foreground elements yielded extra nacre, and inactive robots hinted at future interactions once you gain the right abilities, I’m sure. Its levels feel very layered, inviting exploration and experimentation.

Play Your Way

Mio is also challenging—especially if you don’t carefully select your modifiers. One, for example, causes an explosion every time Mio takes damage, rewarding a more reckless playstyle. You can also find robots that let you “bank” your nacre so you won’t lose it when you die—an important resource if you’ve just had a productive run. Enemies respawn every time you through a gate, which means you can either avoid them or farm nacre as you progress.

To its credit, Mio includes accessibility options that lower the difficulty without compromising the experience. These range from reducing boss health after multiple deaths to healing upon landing or gaining protection from attacks. I didn’t need to tweak the settings, but it’s a thoughtful inclusion for newer players or those less familiar with Metroidvanias.

Final Thoughts

There’s clearly much more to uncover. The demo hints at a larger story, collectible lore items, a sprawling metropolis, and new abilities still to be discovered. Even within this brief taste, I found myself fully absorbed, intrigued by its systems and drawn to every mysterious corner of the Vessel.

Mio: Memories in Orbit is slated for release later this year. If you're even remotely interested in atmospheric Metroidvanias with artistic flair and layered mechanics, it’s well worth adding it to your Steam wishlist.

MIO: Memories in Orbit

2025

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