MIO: Memories in Orbit

MIO wears its tough-as-nails metroidvania influences proudly, but spends enough time contorting familiar ideas into punishing gauntlets and rewarding patience with dazzling artistic spectacle that it truly comes into its own.

84%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

grinding, stability

86% User Score Based on 125 reviews

Critic Score 77%Based on 19 reviews

Platforms

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About

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a single player platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Douze Dixièmes and was released on June 4, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Play an android in MIO: Memories in Orbit, a mesmerizing metroidvania where you explore the Vessel, an enormous technological ark overgrown with machines gone rogue. Uncover its secrets, enhance MIO's abilities, and save the spaceship and its resident from oblivion!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews

music37 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and an incredible soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
Exploration is rewarding, with a beautifully designed world that encourages players to discover hidden areas and secrets.
Combat and platforming mechanics are engaging, providing a satisfying challenge that keeps players invested.

The gameplay can feel repetitive, with limited combat options and basic mechanics that may not evolve significantly throughout the game.
Checkpoints are poorly spaced, leading to tedious runbacks after dying, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
The lack of a traditional healing mechanic and the punitive death penalties can make the game feel unnecessarily frustrating.

music
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
24%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience and immersion. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, with specific praise for its ability to match the mood of different areas and boss battles. While some reviews mention that the music is not universally memorable, the majority agree that it significantly elevates the game's artistic and emotional impact.
- “Great game with a beautiful art style and incredible soundtrack.”
- “The art style and music are so incredible and immersive, and I often find myself hooked to this game for hours.”
- “Magical and dynamic music which perfectly captures each zone and boss fight.”
- “I was really close to putting this game into not recommended, but the looks and the music are soooo good for the price, it barely saved it.”
- “The soundtracks are very evocative and atmospheric.”
- “And don’t even get me started on the soundtracks, especially the first boss theme, like, bruh, they didn’t just cook, they served a full five course meal, I need that track in my playlist.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
58%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fluid mechanics, engaging combat, and stunning visuals, while others criticize the lack of traditional healing and checkpoint systems, which can lead to frustrating experiences. Some players appreciate the unique exploration mechanics and upgrades, but find certain gameplay elements unintuitive or overly punitive. Overall, while the game offers a captivating atmosphere and solid movement, its gameplay loop may not resonate with everyone due to its design choices.
- “It’s a moderately ambitious and distinctive adventure that manages to entertain with simple yet solid gameplay and an atmospheric story.”
- “Each area is intriguing and introduces fun and unique new mechanics that make exploration fun.”
- “Absolutely stunning design and super fun combat and movement mechanics!!”
- “I really want to like this game because I love the vibe and art, but the gameplay is not doing it for me.”
- “The art style drew me in, but the actual gameplay loop is bafflingly poor.”
- “Absolutely not my kind of game — yet another title that strips away basic mechanics like enemy health bars and a map, then sells them back as 'upgrades.' Death in three hits, paid health restoration, a minimal number of respawn points, constant backtracking that feels long even with shortcuts, no parrying or dodging, no combat variety — nothing at all.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
31%
9%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning art style, which features a unique watercolor/pastel aesthetic and fluid animations that enhance the immersive experience. Many players highlight the captivating visuals and atmospheric music as standout elements, contributing to the game's overall appeal, although some note that the focus on aesthetics may come at the expense of gameplay quality. Overall, the art style is frequently described as breathtaking and a major draw for players.
- “The art style and music are superb, but otherwise disappointed so far.”
- “The art work is fantastic; this is genuinely one of the best looking games of all time.”
- “Visually, the game is striking; it pairs a distinct watercolor/pastel aesthetic with 3D environments that feel reminiscent of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.”
- “The art style drew me in, but the actual gameplay loop is bafflingly poor.”
- “It feels like the developers focused entirely on aesthetics and completely forgot about quality of life features that have been industry standards for a decade.”
- “The art (visuals & music) carry the game hard; they're gorgeous (once you get out of the grey/brown area).”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it moderately ambitious and atmospheric, while others describe it as lackluster or irrelevant after initial interactions. While the narrative may not fully engage everyone, many appreciate the environmental storytelling and the way exploration unlocks story elements, making it a compelling experience for fans of the genre. Overall, opinions vary, with some players excited about the unfolding narrative and others feeling it falls short.
- “It’s a moderately ambitious and distinctive adventure that manages to entertain with simple yet solid gameplay and an atmospheric story.”
- “I tried many other metroidvania games, but none could give me the same sense of exploration, the boss fight, the secrets of the world, the story, and atmosphere.”
- “The story has been very compelling so far and I'm excited to see what happens next.”
- “It's another metroidvania with a dying world as a story; I really thought this game would have a happier tone with how it appears at the beginning.”
- “I tried to follow the story for a bit, but after the first few interactions, it just became irrelevant in my opinion.”
- “The story is meh; it doesn't leave an impression.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
6%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art direction, evocative music, and immersive world design, creating a captivating experience that enhances exploration and gameplay. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a strong sense of place and emotion, making it stand out in the metroidvania genre. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements contributes to a coherent and engaging atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “Obvious strengths: strong art direction, great atmosphere, and a smooth, consistently engaging experience.”
- “The art style is jaw-dropping at times, the music is atmospheric and captures the vibe of each area perfectly.”
- “I tried many other metroidvania games, but none could give me the same sense of exploration, the boss fight, the secrets of the world, the story, and atmosphere.”
- “It is a breath of fresh air to play a game like this with such amazing art, gameplay, sound design, etc. Such a tremendous atmosphere, the location itself feels real in a tangible way.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive boss runbacks and the requirement to locate "guardians" at save points to unlock fast travel. This design choice detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more boring than challenging.
- “On the downside, there are some rather tedious boss runbacks, which feel especially odd to see in this kind of game after Silksong’s debut and the massive outrage around that topic.”
- “Furthermore, needing to find a 'guardian' at each save point to unlock mechanics like fast travel might feel tedious to some.”
- “It’s not 'challenging'; it’s just tedious and boring.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the reviews highlight the impressive art style and character designs, they do not provide specific insights into character development, suggesting that this aspect may not be a focal point in the game's narrative or gameplay experience.
- “The art style is amazing; I adore all the character designs I've seen so far.”
- “The character development is incredibly deep, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, their growth is both believable and engaging.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, including frequent visual glitches and a game-breaking camera that disrupts gameplay. These problems detract from the overall experience and suggest a need for further optimization.
- “Visual glitches and game-breaking camera issues make it nearly impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “The game frequently crashes, leading to a frustrating experience.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay and affected overall stability.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the game's controls, which detracts from the emotional experience, contrasting it with the more engaging challenges found in titles like Hollow Knight. The mechanics, such as the reset of the double jump upon hitting enemies, lead to a sense of annoyance rather than the intended emotional engagement.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with players noting a smooth and stable gameplay experience. However, some users have reported occasional performance dips on the Steam Deck, suggesting that future patches may be needed to address these issues.
- “Nothing to complain about — it looks fantastic, runs smoothly, and I’ve had a consistently stable gameplay experience.”
- “I did notice some unexpected performance dips on the Steam Deck, which I hope future patches will address.”