MIO: Memories In Orbit: How to Beat Shii - Boss Guide

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Shane Limbaugh (He/Him) is a Contributor from the US. While he hasn't been writing about games for very long he has certainly been playing them. His degree in Game Design and Criticism let him better understand the fundamentals of the industry and the games themselves. There aren't many games he hasn't at least put hands on thanks to his time working at GameStop.

MIO: Memories in Orbit has a ton of bosses to fight and a lot of ground to cover and explore. It certainly isn't a game that you'll finish in one go, and even if you do manage to get the regular ending by beating Ati, there's still a lot more to do.

If you're here looking at this, odds are you've already found Shii and have just been getting your butt handed to you by their wacky mechanics. It isn't the toughest fight in the game, but it definitely will beat you down more than a few times, that's for sure.

This guide won't cover reaching Shii, since that's all covered in the secret ending guide; it'll cover all the attacks Shii uses, along with some tips and tricks for coming out on top. It's a tough fight, so don't expect to beat it the first couple of times you face off against them, and you may want to try getting Mel back beforehand to get some upgrades just in case.

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Preparing for the Shii Fight

By this point in the game, you've probably gathered a bunch of different modifiers to use, or you may have settled into a setup that works best for your playstyle. The modifiers recommended aren't necessarily a must-have, but they will make the fight a little bit easier.

Modifiers:

Splintering Dodge
Protective Overlay
Analyser
Reduced Latency
Self-Awareness
Pain Conversion
Enhanced Dodge

These may not fit your playstyle, and that's more than okay. Use whatever makes you feel comfortable or what you think you'll do the best with. The only one that is probably a real need would be Splintering Dodge, mostly because you can use it to apply targeted to Shii and get off extra damage.

While you can avoid most attacks, you'll need to dodge to avoid the hardest-hitting ones.

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How to Beat Shii, Keeper of the Spine

Shii is a bit different from most of the other bosses in the game, mostly because of the sheer number of attacks they have. You won't have to constantly be on the move, but you'll spend a lot of time in the air.

If you decide to stick on the ground and smack them, you'll need to be superb at dodging, but you can almost stand wherever and make contact due to their size. This fight will take between two and three minutes, so get nice and settled in because Shii has three phases to get through.

The video above will run through the entire fight. Below, the fight is broken up into phases, along with descriptions of attacks and strategies for avoiding them. It's always a good idea to give it a single go first, so you can get a feeling for what might give you trouble.

You can't do any damage to Shii until they reappear, which means no early damage.

Shii Phase One

In the first phase, Shii will introduce the vast majority of their attacks, which will get some upgrades in the final phase. These aren't usually super tough once you know what to look for, but they will take up a good chunk of the battlefield you have to move in.

One thing to be very aware of is that Shii can actually use most of their non-unique moves in any phase. If they're affecting the stage in some way, then they'll only use moves from that phase; otherwise, it's pretty much anything goes.

Attack

Description

Dodge or Avoid

Multiphase?

Eye Beam

Slam and Summon

Spin and Strike

Shii moves to the center of the screen and looks to one side. Then fires a beam across to the other side.	Dodge	Yes
Shii lifts both arms up and then slams them down in the center. After that, Shii will drag them back across the stage and summon seven beams.	Dodge the arm strike, then avoid the beams.	Yes
Shii will fly upwards and wrap themselves quickly around the stage, moving from one side to the other. They will then slam down from above, striking around them before sending out a damaging ring if they don't catch you with the slam. Getting caught in the slam has them constrict you, causing another unavoidable hit.	Avoid the spin, Dodge the slam, and ring.	Yes

You shouldn't have too much trouble getting through the first phase once you've seen the moves. The next phase will kick things up a notch and be very annoying.

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Shii Phase Two

This phase will get a little creepy as Shii will black out the battlefield and begin moving in and out of the darkness. While they're in the dark, you won't be able to get much damage off, so just avoid taking any damage before the next part of this phase begins.

Attack

Description

Dodge or Avoid

Multiphase?

Star Trap Beams

Hide and Go Seek

Crystal Strike

Beam Cannon and Punch

Hand Slam and Double Beam Summon

Eye Beam Upgraded

The Floor is Lava

Shii vanishes into the dark, and then small yellow lines appear across the stage. They'll enclose over a specific area in the center of all the beams before disappearing and happening once more if the first time doesn't strike you.	Avoid by finding the center of all the beams and hovering there.	No
Shii peaks out from the darkness with just their head before rushing forward in that spot. The second time they peak, they'll dash across the stage. They'll do this two total times.	Dodge each strike as it leaves the shadows.	No
Shii disappears once again and summons some crystals surrounded by golden circles. They will target you and fire at an increasing pace. You can break them or grapple them.	Avoid by grappling or moving to one side quickly.	No
Shii will reappear on one side of the stage, holding on to it and putting their eye forward. They'll fire a beam straight across before stopping and flying up, then punching down in front of where they were. Shii moves to the other side and fires another beam from the top corner to the bottom.	Avoid the beams by getting behind their head, which also helps to avoid the punches.	No
Shii will move to one side of the stage and raise their arms diagonally before slamming them down. They'll crawl across the stage and then crawl to the middle. After that, they'll slam down one arm and drag it across the stage, summoning beams down before moving on to the next arm to repeat the attack.	Dodge the arm slams and then avoid the beams.	Yes
Same as the previous eye beam attack in phase one, except this one moves back along the path it took from one side to the other.	Dodge both strikes.	Yes
Shii will grab both sides of the stage and electrocute the floor. Then summons more crystals to attack. This will happen three times.	Avoid beams by grappling to continue attacking Shii.	No

This phase is a little on the hefty side since it adds a couple of new basic attacks to its repertoire. Pay extra close attention when they're doing their windups since that'll be the only clue you get, and it won't last long.

Shii Phase Three

While this phase only adds in one attack, you'll still have to be on the lookout for all those other attacks that they've used before. Don't get ahead of yourself and try to only get damage in when you know Shii will be somewhere stable.

Attack

Description

Dodge or Avoid

Multiphase?

Big Beam Ball

Shii curls themselves into a ball at the center of the stage. Beams begin to fire off it, leaving only a couple of safe areas. After that, Shii fires off a huge ring that is unavoidable.	Avoid the beams by finding the safe spot and dodge the ring attack.	No

Once you get here, it's all down to the wire in this Metroidvania. Whether you find success or suffer defeat is entirely in your hands, but with this guide in tow, you'll be better off than most.

Once you finish the fight, you can put the controller down for a second and breathe, as you're in for a relatively long and bittersweet cutscene. This is the alternate ending to the game and will earn you an achievement, Welcome Home.