I reviewed Douze Dixièmes' psychologically charged puzzle platformer MIO: Memories in Orbit looks to fulfill that expectation with another gorgeous and contemplative project. This time, we have a Metroidvania sci-fi platformer that expands on the graphic novel aesthetic of the studio’s debut, making MIO: Memories in Orbit a notable 2025 release for genre fans to keep an eye on.

Shady Part of Me utilizes a clever shadow mechanic to carry you through gorgeously animated environments in pursuit of therapeutic healing and catharsis. While these specific aspects did not appear meaningfully throughout the two or so hours of my MIO preview, the game shares some of Shady’s intimate atmosphere and sensibilities, aspects that informed and elevated the imaginative sci-fi storytelling that takes center stage.

Exploring the Decaying Halls of The Vessel

Fighting Both Derelict Robots and Floaty Gravity

You are the titular MIO, an abstract featherweight robot gal exploring the mysterious overgrown halls and chambers of a massive spaceship ark known as "The Vessel." MIO can jump, double-jump, and swiftly attack, eventually unlocking a unique hookshot ability in the short slice of the game I previewed. I expect more movement mechanics to reveal themselves the further on you go, but the platforming toolset at hand is familiar and responsive.

Past those basics, MIO can equip herself with software upgrades that function similarly to those found in Nier: Automata, with boosts, buffs, and additional features taking up storage space and being swappable at a save station. I haven’t spotted anything too exciting to upgrade just yet, primarily just basic combat buffs. And, of course, a fun Nier-like quirk where primary aspects of the HUD itself must be "equipped" in this fashion.

I will note that MIO: Memories in Orbit’s controls are noticeably slow and very floaty; not a dealbreaker out of the gate, but certainly jarring at first blush. Jump gravity feels downright glacial, and attacks, while individually snappy and responsive, don’t leave much room for cancellation, rendering the combat feathery, commit-heavy, and often hard to wrangle with precision. I’m confident that the physics will settle in as more abilities unlock, but I did find myself growing impatient with the game's sluggish run speed.

Mio Is A Sci-Fi Visual Splendor

MIO: Memories in Orbit's Hand-Animated Style is a Head-Turner

Not to bury the lede by discussing the platforming in detail, but MIO: Memories in Orbit’s visual aesthetic and sense of place are often awe-inspiring. And that’s despite the countless other hand-animated Metroidvanias we’ve seen and enjoyed up to this point, none of which affect how impressive the style and artistic sensibility of this game comes across in motion.

Each corridor and room of The Vessel could have found a nice home in a vast Mœbius splash page, all awash in shifting cross-hatched shadows and dramatic, carefully considered lighting and detail. The color diversity ran the gamut in even just the tiny nook of the world I explored, with cool blues and harder-edged pastels in its icy corridors opening up to lush amethyst flowers blooming around intricate golden accents on every surface of the garden area.

The abstract characters you meet are stringy serpentine jumbles of cloth and wire with headlamps for faces, but all of them hint at a rich inner life. Animated backdrops and the stray NPCs that wander within them are packed with personality, to say nothing of MIO herself, a charmingly odd sprite with pointy legs and electronic wire “hair,” and the embrace of the phantom-like presence at the save station is always weirdly warm and cozy. MIO: Memories in Orbit looks incredible, full stop, somehow even better than its lovely screenshots might convey.

Classic Metroidvania Exploration and A Great Hookshot

The Hairpin Opens up MIO's World and Hastens Traversal

Aligned with the aforementioned HUD unlock, the very map itself in MIO: Memories in Orbit is not accessible in a menu by default. After a few wanders through The Vessel’s biomes, you’ll eventually connect to the “dormant capillaries” of the network, drawing a map that tracks your journey after each return to a gentle NPC named Shii. I also love how you can then add markers to the map on your own, and how it leaves a glitchy cloud effect to highlight any untouched regions.

In standard Metroidvania fashion, those unexplored reaches are usually the result of an ability or mechanic yet to be collected, so there’s plenty of backtracking and nook-searching. That’s where the aforementioned character speed becomes a more noticeable issue. However, I was able to activate a few shortcuts that made traversal easier, and boss runs were usually considerably distanced to accommodate multiple retries, if needed.

Access is significantly increased after finding the hookshot (a/k/a the "Hairpin"), along with the potential for faster speed. There are nodes and flowers called out in the environment that can be latched onto, but any enemy can also function as a stepping stone to fling MIO to new ledges and secrets. The Hairpin feels both familiar and satisfyingly tweaked to the game’s sense of gravity, even if I maintain that the overall floaty feel of it can get in the way.

MIO: Memories in Orbit Is One To Watch

Look, it's an easy sell. Anyone with even a casual glance at MIO: Memories in Orbit’s gameplay will want to try their hand at it, even in light of its most apparent unreleased competition; I'm referring to that little indie sequel juggernaut that could, Hollow Knight: Silksong. While my preview certainly had some objectives and gameplay elements obscured, I also have some good guesses as to what upgrades might look like.

Of course, Shady Part of Me also kept its gameplay surprises close to the vest, and I love how MIO: Memories in Orbit's general vibe and narrative communicate an otherworldly feel, hinting at its inspirations while maintaining a strong sense of personality. Maybe I'll even get used to the floaty gravity after some more traversal tools get added to my pack.

For now, don't sleep on this delightful and curious Metroidvania and its beautifully drawn world. While the studio expects Steam Deck compatibility at release, MIO: Memories in Orbit should really be played on as large a screen as possible.