MIO: Memories in Orbit is a metroidvania that’s filled with beautiful landscapes and difficult fights. Developed by Douze Dixièmes and published by Focus Entertainment, MIO had a full release on January 20th, 2026. Mio, a small, fragile but graceful robot, wakes up on the Vessel. However, the Vessel and the Heart are on the brink of collapse, seemingly abandoned by those who held everything together. Players must travel around the vast landscape of the Vessel, in search of allies, tidbits of lore, and upgrades in order to save the Vessel and its inhabitants. Of course, there are plenty of those standing in Mio’s way, including many boss fights.
MIO is probably best described as easy to learn, difficult to master. The game does not shy away from being difficult and players will be sure to stumble from time to time—I know I sure did. As someone who is not a player of games like Hollow Knight or Ori, I found the game to be rather challenging and slightly frustrating at times. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I do wish a bit more was explained. A few times I had to rely on a guide due to being completely lost or to believing I was soft-locked. Overall, I don’t think MIO is bad and can see its appeal—I just don’t believe it is my kind of game. It is one where I can recommend playing, without being a player myself. So, hold on to your nacre, because it’s time to discuss MIO: Memories in Orbit!
The Vessel—A Beautiful, Ruinous, Spaceship
Let’s start with the obvious positives. MIO is beautiful. Douze Dixièmes did a fantastic job when it comes to the aesthetics, both in visual and audio. From lush vegetation to frigid ice, the settings in this game were very pleasing to look at. The music knows when to play a soothing melody and when to have vocals. Many times, after working my way to get somewhere, I wanted to stop and take in the scenery, noticing all the finest details that the developers paid attention to. The images I will share in this review don’t do the game’s aesthetics justice as there are plenty more that I could have added. In fact, I found that most of my screengrabs were just pleasing images and probably not the most suitable for a full review of the game.
I also really enjoy the design of the robots and enemies in this game. Beyond our little protagonist, there are many allies we gather along the way. From the simple, boxy robots to the almost‑ethereal overseers and the centipede‑like doctor, allies feature a distinct and memorable design. The bosses follow the same trend, each crafted with clear attention to detail. Common enemies also felt visually pleasing, though admittedly there isn’t a large variety of them in the beginning of the game. Overall though, I think Douze Dixièmes deserves a round of applause for MIO‘s aesthetics and I am enjoying this aspect immensely. For me, this is definitely one of the biggest positives that this game has to offer.
To Save the Heart, You Must Revive the Pearls
The story of MIO is a little confusing, partially because I’m not entirely sure where it will end up going—despite spoiling the endings for myself online. I won’t spoil anything in this review, but the story seems to go in a direction I was not initially anticipating. Before waking up on the Vessel, Mio is actually in what seems to be the ark’s programming. By traveling through a cord, Mio is then ‘uploaded’ into the robot body, as shown by the glowing hair. This hair is Mio’s main tool for everything, whether that be in combat or moving around the Vessel. Mio comes back to this area later in the game, such as when she learns a new movement ability like hairpin.
This part I can understand. However, as you travel through these areas, text will appear in the background. This text is about a beautiful woman who was lost. The story-teller is wondering if her heart is still beating or is it ‘like mine’. This feels important to the narrative, but when we are exploring around as robot-Mio, the focus is on the Vessel, the Heart, and reviving the Pearls—the Vessel’s AI caretakers. The Pearls have names such as the Blood, the Eye, or the Hand.
In fact, there was so much body imagery that I believed the Vessel was a larger, human sized robot. We would just be the machinery working inside of it. It could have been a beautiful narrative about robots and AI in our world, especially now with it being a hot-topic as it becomes more common-place. However, the story does not seem to go in this direction. Perhaps I should have paid the steam page a bit more attention when it says we are on a space ship, drifting aimlessly through space.
Exploring the Vessel & Preparing for Combat
So, with reviving the Pearls as our main objective, exploring the Vessel will prove to be very beneficial. Nacre stands out as the game’s most valuable resource. You earn nacre by defeating enemies or scavenging junk piles scattered across the map. If Mio falls in battle, though, any nacre she carries sinks into the pond. Players can crystallize nacre at stations to secure it permanently, even after death. You’ll also find other key resources: Old Cores, which unlock powerful upgrades, and Coating Components, which increase your overall hit points. Players will run into Dr. Halyn, who will open a shop near the main spawn area, the Spine. Purchasing upgrades is an important step in making Mio more combat-ready.
MODs are abilities/passives that Mio can install, depending on your modifier space. MODs include traits like enemies dropping more nacre, being able to see enemy health bars, being able to see Mio’s health bar, or having extra health. With limited modifier space, players need to choose their build carefully and may need to change it if a boss fight is proving too difficult.
You can purchase MODs, but you’ll also find them scattered throughout the Vessel. The Vessel hides many secrets, such as MODs, Old Cores, and logs that tell tidbits of the story. Exploration is decently rewarded in this game, however it is easy to get lost initially. With no objective tracker, there were moments where I wandered aimlessly, just to die and have to do it all over again. The map makes navigation far easier, and players can unlock it early if they fill the pond quickly enough. Still, I wish it were available from the start to avoid those initial moments of feeling completely lost.
A Simple String to Defeat Them All
The combat in MIO probably best displays how it is easy to learn, difficult to master. Unlike other metroidvanias, with ability casting, different weapon types, and ranged weapons, Mio can perform a simple string of three attacks. There are some combat tricks Mio can add to her arsenal, such as MODs and the ability to dodge. Ultimately though, it is just this simple string of attacks. Though I can understand the symbolism of it—how Mio is not some overpowered hero but instead a small and fragile robot—it does make combat feel a bit lackluster. The game’s difficulty forces you to time your attacks carefully, since many enemies keep advancing even after you hit them. It’s easy to overcommit while trying to finish one off with your second string, only to take a hammer to the head for your trouble.
Boss battles are also no joke either. Bosses, whether mandatory for story progression or hidden on the Vessel, have high health pools and many potential ways to attack Mio. Players will need to learn their patterns and learn the timing of when to dodge and attack. Players can probably expect to die a few times in the process. I’ve said this before, I don’t mind a challenge. However when all I really have in my arsenal to tackle a challenge is a basic string of attacks, I tend to get frustrated more than I have fun. I am sure some players, those who are big fans of metroidvanias and appreciate a challenge, will enjoy the boss battles. For me, and I hate to admit this, I was not a fan of them or of the combat as a whole, which is of course a major part in the game.
Parkour!
MIO, like many metroidvanias, has plenty of parkour around the Vessel. By unlocking the different movement abilities, such as grappling, gliding or wall climbing, players can more easily get around the Vessel. I found some of these movements to be graceful, such as using ice to propel Mio across a gap. However, there were times that it felt clunky. For example, the hairpin, or grapple ability, would not readily register the direction I wanted it to go. If I wanted it to go straight up, I would need to press the up arrow down first, before using the ability, instead of just pressing both keys at the same time. There are also moments where a grapple in a north-west direction is necessary, mid jump. This was frustrating to perform as it didn’t feel like a seamless action.
Another parkour element I was not a fan of is how the game does not explain a lot of things to you. In the Haven section, there are purple flowers that can be hit in order to restore a jump, letting players jump multiple times to either cross a gap or get up high. However, the game at no point tells you about this. At one point I spent at least ten minutes circling an area, believing I was soft-locked, because I was unaware of this multi-jump feature. I had to look up someone’s walkthrough.
Later on in the story, the parkour gets a bit more intense, as multiple movements will be needed. I can only imagine how frustrating it may be, especially with the occasional clunkiness. The parkour was something I was not a personal fan of, though again, it could just be me. I am sure others might have a lot more enjoyment in the challenge.
Graceful at its Core
Overall, I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I would recommend this one to the right player. I don’t think that player is me, but if you are someone who has played games like Ori or Hollow Knight, this one might be a decent pick up for you. The combat and parkour provides a challenge that requires deft movements and strategic planning. The stumbles I found were more so on me as a player and really I just need to ‘git gud’. However, I can’t help but feel like I won’t be the only one to have these thoughts and I think they are important to discuss. The steam reviews are currently mostly positive. I can agree with the viewpoints of both positive and negative reviews. Like I said though, the positives outweigh the negatives.
And I still want to give Douze Dixièmes a round of applause for the design of this game. Aesthetically, I really thought that MIO: Memories in Orbit was beautiful. The stunning visuals mixed with the vocals were super pleasing to experience. This element pulls me in as a player, and it grabs my attention from the very beginning. The developers did a fantastic job in this area. If you believe you are the right kind of player, then I happily recommend you pick this one up, just for the visuals alone.
Thank you for reading and say hi to Shii for me!
