MIO: Memories in Orbit Has One Of My Favorite Aesthetics In A Metroidvania - Preview

If you haven't yet, follow us on X (Twitter), Mastodon, or Bluesky to know when we post new articles, and join our Reddit or Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out our content and interact with our awesome community. Thank you for supporting us!

When I first tried MIO at Gamescom last year, I was quite excited. The mechanics felt solid, and I was intrigued by the world that was built, but what really stunned me was the visuals. The combination of gorgeous models mixed with pencil stroke-esque lines that emulated a colored pencil drawing captivated me, and I was so excited to hear more about it. After some silence, we now have a demo for MIO: Memories in Orbit, and I am still just as captivated by the world as I was before.

Each spot in the giant level that we can play through felt wonderfully hand-crafted, and I loved the uniqueness of each section I ran through. I was having a blast seeing the sights across the run-down factory, frozen-over platforms, and futuristic-esque city that I just wanted to learn more about. The color palette is a bit lighter than I expected, but it still looks great. I love how the lighting from our playable character accentuates the world in the dark too, which highlights more of that drawing aesthetic I very much enjoyed.

The character models also help add to the futuristic weirdness that is MIO. You play as this malleable robot that is on a space ship that has stopped working, and will come across other robots that you have to repair and work with to find your lost memories and the true purpose of the ship you’re on. I love that our protagonist, and each of the robots we will come across, feel more sci-if instead of just futuristic, and it all adds to the curiosity of what happened. From the string-like hair that we can use to propel ourselves, to the weird designs that encompass the robots, it all contributed to me wanting to explore further and see what else the world had to offer.

Gameplay wise, it’s a metroidvania through and through. Running through winding levels, defeating bosses, and getting new abilities that can help you navigate to new parts of the areas are all here in spades. I’d say the combat is a bit more difficult than I initially expected, but as I gained new abilities and modifications, I slowly started to find my groove.

Speaking of which, since you’re a robot, you can actually find and enable/disable different modification chips that provide different bonuses and abilities. This can include something as simple as increasing your health or seeing enemy health bars, but they take up memory space so you have to choose wisely. It’s easy to swap when desired as long as you’re at the right location, and I ended up finding a bunch of them left and right as I explored, so there’s going to be a lot of customization in this aspect.

There are still static abilities you get as you play and progress, line being able to use your string-like hair to propel yourself on enemies and floating green spheres to reach new places in the level, but these don’t take up any memory so you can use them as you see fit. The systems work well with each other, and I found them compelling reasons to keep exploring and get whatever upgrades I could.

I won’t go too much into Steam Deck performance, since this build has not been optimized for it, but I see a lot of potential. It has more trouble than I expected in some areas, but it was stable where it counts, and I can only see it getting better. I am sure the launch will be great on the Deck, and I can’t wait to see it for myself.

Overall, MIO: Memories in Orbit has a lot of promise, and I am excited for it. The work and art style captivated me and are my main reason to keep coming back, but I am genuinely curious about the story and what this space ship was for. The gameplay systems work well, and while it can be a little difficult and slightly confusing without a map, I am looking forward to the full release and seeing how the gameplay and story develops.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!