Review – MIO: Memories in Orbit

The beauty of indie games lies in their unpredictability, in the possibility of bringing something outside of what we are used to seeing in this sea of ​​games. drew attention from its first trailers, both for its beauty, narrative curiosity and the short, but striking, sample of its sound composition. Now, after playing and exploring this immense universe, it becomes even easier to see how unique the result of all this artistic composition is.

This is a metroidvania developed by Douze Dixièmes, inspired by games like Hollow Knight and Ori and the Blind Forest. Here we find unique visuals that range from the menus to the design of characters and scenarios, all built with a handmade watercolor aesthetic, the kind that makes your eyes shine. In addition to contemplation, the game also opens up space for exploration full of platform challenges and, of course, many enemies that will probably claim your life several times. Amidst all this, there is a story full of secrets, eager to be discovered.

Reacting to the MIO ship: Memories in Orbit

MIO is a small robot that awakens on the Nau ship, a lush but desolate and decaying place. Something disabled the Pearls, the AIs that kept this facility running smoothly. Now, few machines remain active: some are trying to understand what really happened, while others rebelled and turned a peaceful place into pure hostility. Something has awakened MIO and, thanks to his agility and development capacity, he becomes the perfect bet to explore the depths of this place and rescue Nau’s memories.

Without going into spoilers, the ship is on the verge of being shut down. Your mission is to restore it part by part, and it soon becomes clear that its structure follows a distribution similar to the human body. The central component, for example, is the spine and it is through it that we feel the state of connections with other areas. Just from there you can see that the narrative speaks to the poetry: captivating and, at the same time, chilling.

The visuals of MIO: Memories in Orbit are surprising on several layers. His watercolor aesthetic, combined with cel-shading, is absurdly beautiful. Each step that MIO takes reveals brushstrokes that color the scenes, forming a grand environment, full of details, with a design that mixes fiction, technology and, as already mentioned, references to the human body. It really is a beautiful game.

Metroidvanias commonly make the player go back and forth along long paths full of forks that form a large maze and here this rule remains the same. You will come across closed doors, unreachable areas and objects that, at first, seem incomprehensible. But, in the midst of all this, clues emerge that gradually reveal more about this place, items that improve MIO and drops of mother of pearl, which function as the currency of this journey.

Managing your skills

MIO can use modifiers, which function as progression aids. It is possible to improve your strength, add an extra layer of protection, accelerate the recovery of that layer and even display life in the game interface (something that, interestingly, also requires a modifier), leaving room for difficult choices. These items can be found in deactivated robots or in piles of trash scattered across the map, but they can also be purchased in the store, always using the drops as currency.

Clearly, you will need to choose carefully which modifiers to equip, as they consume varying points in the allocation matrix. Think of it as storage space that can be expanded as you progress, but requires strategy at first. The management idea is great, but honestly, early on I acquired good modifiers and it became almost unthinkable to change them. Perhaps there was a need for a more careful adjustment in the balance between availability and challenge of these items.

The drops are sensitive and, as expected, when you perish in the depths of the map you will lose these items. MIO always reappears in the arms of Nexo, a kind of column assistant. This is where you save your progress, install modifiers and update the map of explored areas. There is, however, a way to protect your drops: when you encounter the crystallizing robot, it can solidify them, ensuring that they remain with you even after death. Other narrative items also remain, so don’t worry.

Fortunately, the game isn’t overly punishing. Even after losing, it is relatively easy to recover these resources, either by respawning enemies or through trash piles. Additionally, whenever you return to Nexo and save your progress, enemies and scraps reappear. The catch is in the cores, items that are a little rarer, but essential for acquiring new resources. The store also offers allocation expansions and health improvements for MIO, so it’s worth collecting lots of drops.

With so many capabilities of this little robot, combat could not be left out. In this respect, MIO: Memories in Orbit presents a more restrained variety. In practice, there is a basic three-hit combo that, over time, can be combined with dodges, dashes, glides, grabbing walls and even projectiles. Despite being simple, it is possible to increase the damage of attacks, which helps in more difficult fights. In the end, it is the sum of these skills that creates variety, even if their use is more evident during exploration, especially in terrain with different dynamics.

Do you know those places that were previously unreachable or incomprehensible? It is from these skills that you will be able to explore them. The difference is that it’s not enough to just unlock them: you have to master them with precision. Progression requires mastery of jumping, stamina management and landing hits, which makes exploration extremely satisfying. There may not be as many constant clashes or varied combos, but the scenarios will undoubtedly defeat you at various times.

Watercolor tones and geometric shapes

Another interesting detail is how skills are acquired. A robot resembling a giant insect travels through the ship’s pipes and teaches these techniques. When taken into this space, the game takes on a geometric look, while a song with a choir echoes and loose phrases appear in the background, as if they were the character’s own thoughts. It’s intriguing and works very well as a tutorial for new mechanics, a creative way of teaching while expanding contemplation even further.

These skills will be tested both in platform challenges and in bosses, which have varied shapes and attack patterns. They require preparation, reading of movements and complete mastery of the available mechanics. Some may initially confuse your strategies, making each mistake potentially fatal and sending you back to Nexo, at your last checkpoint.

Such a beautiful game deserves to be enjoyed by many players and, fortunately, Douze Dixièmes thought of this. Although there are no difficulty levels, MIO: Memories in Orbit offers welcome assistance. Bosses, for example, weaken each time you die, making it easier to win without changing patterns or speed, just increasing the damage caused by MIO.

It is also possible to become invisible to common enemies, avoiding combat, although the attack breaks this effect. It is a useful assistance, but it significantly reduces drop collection. Finally, there is the option to activate an extra layer of protection by remaining on solid ground for five seconds, granting an additional unit of health. This is especially useful during platform juggling.

This entire experience results in a mix of action, contemplation and constant discoveries. A small detail, but one that demonstrates the developers’ care, is the inventory: it works almost like a puzzle, organizing items into geometric shapes. Little by little, we begin to interpret the type of each object, which stimulates curiosity and yields that smile of satisfaction when everything makes sense.

The game has texts in Portuguese, which helps a lot in understanding the dialogues and mysteries. Still, it requires attention, as not everything is said directly. The poetic tone invites interpretation, strengthening the narrative and encouraging the player to delve deeper into this ship.

Contemplating an ethereal soundtrack

I can’t help but mention the excellent, wonderful and incredible sound work of MIO: Memories in Orbit. Composed by Nicolas Gueguen, who also worked on implementing the music in the game, the soundtrack has an impressive 75 tracks, totaling almost . The compositions reinforce the desolation, hope, technological environment and even the human similarity of the narrative, including live recorded choirs. The result is a playable, complete and memorable watercolor painting.

The game is also full of references. Many clearly refer to Team Cherry’s works, but there are several others spread across the map: messages from developers, thanks and tributes to films and other games. An immense ship, full of secrets that deserve to be discovered.

It’s no coincidence that MIO: Memories in Orbit comes from France. There is an evident creative movement there, which focuses on identity, strong artistic direction and careful design, without depending on ready-made formulas. These are games made with time and personality. After Expedition 33, MIO appears as further proof that French studios are teaching a silent lesson on how to create striking, authorial and visually unforgettable experiences.

Despite some imbalances in modifiers and simpler combat alone, the work as a whole is artisanal. It will easily stand out throughout 2026 and has everything it needs to become one of many players’ favorite metroidvanias. I even put myself on that list.