MIO: Memories in Orbit Review - The Metroidvania of Your Dreams

Metroidvania games, you crazy kids just can't seem to get enough of them. Sure, people are VERY loud online about how the market has been oversaturated with these titles, but in the end, they still keep selling, so developers continue making them. That said, creators can't just pin back their ears and release any old Metroidvania-style title; it is paramount that they do everything they can to stand out in such a crowded genre. And so, in recent times, we've seen devs toy around with the formula in different ways—whether it be time travel or, in the case of MIO: Memories in Orbit, coming to us from publisher Focus Entertainment and the creators of 2020's Shady Part of Me, evoking a feeling of zen while often feeling less focused on combat and more focused on strategy, platforming, and exploration. But did MIO: Memories in Orbit leave me with painful memories after playing it? Or are all systems go? Let's find out in our full review!

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a visually jaw-dropping Metroidvania where you play as a tiny robot named—what else—but MIO, who is tasked with exploring a massive spaceship known as The Vessel. Not all is well aboard the Vessel, as it has been overrun by evil robots, and it's up to you to not only defeat these dastardly foes (sorry, that sounded really '90s), but to also revive the Ark's memories piece by piece. It's a cryptic story full of dying and dejected residents, hidden, mysterious lore, and recycling, as you are also recycling old parts into new utilities. The game won't beat you over the head with long, drawn-out story bits, but what's here is interesting and offers enough breadcrumbs to make one ask themselves: how is this all going to come together through a massive 25- to even 40-hour solo adventure, depending on skill level and desire for 100 percent completion? Did I mention there is a central spine that needs to be powered by blood, breath, and bodily features? I’ll say no more.

While its story and world aren't your usual drab, dark Metroidvania affair, make no mistake that this is still very much a Metroidvania game. You'll slowly unlock new sections of a map, though the way you unlock that map is, err... interesting. You'll discover new skills and equip modifiers—tiny cores affixed to a Matrix with a set amount of slots available—and, of course, you'll contend with no shortage of bosses who pack one hell of a punch. The Vessel is huge, full of varied locations, enemies, and tricky platforming sections that will have you dashing, double-jumping, and grappling your way towards the ultimate goal. And while MIO does certainly give fans of the genre what they seek, it manages to feel distinct enough in its approach to remain engrossing throughout, with an understanding that patience is going to be a key factor to getting the most out of its world.

That's because unlocking some of the game's best abilities and modifiers takes time—lots and lots of time. I'm talking, it took me five hours just to unlock a dodge, which makes you feel more like Nightcrawler from the X-Men than anything else. While abilities such as these are transformative—and I don't mind a slow burn—things can be a bit too slow for my tastes here, as I had been trained to fight one way for a huge chunk of the game, only to have to recalibrate time and time again as new skills were unlocked. The result is a game that never let me get into a groove entirely, though at the same time, I can appreciate it keeping me on my toes. Foes are often dispatched with simple 3- to 4-hit combos, but some of them are much more of a pain to deal with, shooting off random projectiles and flying about wildly. This is particularly obnoxious in locked-in arena-style battles, of which there are many. But it's the bosses here that bring the most hurt, requiring careful learning—often with a small margin for error. These encounters were about as much fun as ordering a 10-piece nugget on DoorDash only to find out the driver ate 3 of them. I can’t say I had much fun learning these foes; in fact, they killed a great deal of my enthusiasm for the game more often than not, damn near bringing me to a full-on rage quit in their worst moments.

The difficulty spikes that later bosses brought felt at odds with the game's zen and, quite frankly, relatively manageable difficulty otherwise. As frustrating as these battles can be, at least a few accessibility options exist—one of which allows you to weaken bosses more and more as you lose to them, making subsequent attempts just a bit easier. I like this concept enough, though oddly, it didn't seem to always work as well as it should, as I often still struggled time and time again, even with modifiers activated. Sure, I don't claim to be the most skilled gamer in the world, but if your skills are merely competent, such as mine, expect no shortage of aggravation and agonizing defeats. Cheap hits are aplenty, the dodge doesn’t always like to dodge, and these bosses also have incredibly large health bars that go down by mere fractions no matter how much you bash away at them. Despite my annoyances with this being yet another Metroidvania that features way too many obnoxious boss encounters, I generally enjoyed the combat of Mio otherwise, finding it simple, snappy, and responsive.

For as many battles as you'll encounter, there's just as many platforming sections to conquer, and thankfully Mio is up to the task. The jumps feel responsive, grappling between points is smooth, and traversal is generally a joy as Mio moves at just the right speed. This isn't to say I didn't come across plenty of difficult, rage-inducing areas either. Having to pogo between buds and grapple points at times can be an exercise in patience, as it's important to note that you can swing attacks in multiple directions and, in many cases, will need to do just that. Thankfully, in some cases, the game's trickiest platforming is optional for anyone who isn't a completionist, but that isn't always the case. Luckily, the world has a decent amount of checkpoints and health restoration spots, alleviating some of the more brutal areas of the map. And while speaking of the map, it does need to be unlocked initially, but once it is, it does a serviceable job of labeling areas and showing you where you have and have not been. I’d say, in general, the game is well connected and laid out, with shortcuts feeling satisfying to unlock and no shortage of secrets to discover. An elevator system also makes travel smoother, with a fast travel system eventually unlocked as well.

Even with these features, Mio has plenty of run-backs, meaning you'll traverse areas time and time again when losing to bosses just to get back to them and run it back.

By far my favorite part of Mio is its upgrade system. Players will need to gather cores and currency from fallen foes to affix new modifiers that include everything from additional health to being able to inflict additional damage to foes. It's a simple system where you'll need to pick and choose your modifiers, as you have a set amount of space, with more eventually opening up. Some of your mods also come with cons, such as the Thinner Frame, which will increase slots available but remove some of your protection. This gives the game a unique identity and adds a layer of strategy which is very enjoyable. So yes, while I do think some of your core skills are introduced a bit too late, the game does a lovely job in offering up mods that change our lead character in interesting ways.

You probably don't need me to tell you this, but Mio: Memories in Orbit is absolutely beautiful. Its world is an evocative one, with an almost water-colored look. There's tons of bright, colorful environments, varied enemy and boss designs, and great attention to detail given to each new area. You can tell a great deal of love and care went into its visual presentation, whether it be the smooth animations, swaying blades of grass, or small details such as specks of light emitting through caverns. I especially liked the wild visual shift when unlocking a new skill—very cool!

The game’s camera, on the other hand, can prove to be a bit problematic in spots, obscuring paths and, in rare instances, blocking the screen entirely. This did cause a few moments of frustration, but overall, it's a small issue in what is otherwise a fantastic visual treat. And while there are just a few spoken words in Mio from time to time, mostly well-acted, much of the game is dominated by a calming soundtrack which peacefully resides in the background, only to offer bombastic, electronically infused compositions through many of the boss and arena battles which amp up the energy. When factoring everything, this is a beautiful visual and audio experience crafted with care.

Performance on my PC was great, even at the 4K resolution with a 4070, as I came across no severe framerate drops or major glitches of note. A few enemies became hung up on the environment here or there, but nothing all that serious. The Steam Deck version of the game also ran pretty well during my brief testing, making this a nice choice for portable players. Expect a few framerate hits in larger areas that knocked the game from 60fps to the 40s, but it's perfectly playable overall on the Deck and still quite pretty despite obviously running at a lower resolution than its PC counterpart. There are not a ton of options on offer outside of the accessibility that I mentioned earlier, which includes an additional shield for Mio, weakening of bosses, and a pacifist mode which prevents enemies from attacking unless you attack first.

There are a few languages to choose between, the option to turn data collection off, which I am sure many people will appreciate, text size can be increased, the health warning effect can be dropped, and there are your standard graphical options such as resolution, Vsync, and framerate. For those wondering, the camera can be inverted, and I should also mention that this game does allow players to peek around the screen to get a view of what might be in front of or behind you using the right stick.

So then, did Mio: Memories in Orbit leave me with painful memories? A few, but plenty of great ones too. This Metroidvania did test my patience with its slow rollout of core abilities and some vicious boss encounters that were a bit much for my tastes, but I also greatly enjoyed the story, exploration, platforming, and most of the basic enemy encounters. Its world is so beautiful and interesting to explore, the upgrade system is a blast, and the developers have done a phenomenal job of giving it a unique sense of identity. Yes, there are a few loose nuts and bolts, but ultimately, the Vessel is a ship well worth exploring, especially for those with patience for boss difficulty spikes.

SILVER/GREAT