MIO: Memories in Orbit Review - A Stunning Metroidvania Experience

There's one genre you can always count on to pick up the slack during slow months with a lack of big video game releases, and that's the indie Metroidvania. There may not be a big, huge AAA game out right now for us to sink our teeth into, but there's always some sort of indie Metroidvania waiting to be explored.

The latest is MIO: Memories in Orbit, a brand-new Metroidvania from Douze Dixièmes, a French developer who released their last game, Shady Part of Me, five years ago. They are owned by Focus Entertainment, who have quietly produced some truly magnificent gems over the past several years.

MIO is no different. It makes use of all the traditional elements that make up the genre, while also refining and adding its own unique twists. There's an awful lot to like about this game, and in my fifteen-plus hours with MIO, I came away remembering exactly why I love this genre.

MIO is one of the first great games of 2026, combining razor-sharp, addictive combat with beautiful sound design and a map that's a joy to explore and uncover. There are a ton of Metroidvania games set to release this year, and I would highly recommend taking a look at our review of MIO to find out why this is one that you should check out immediately.

Mama Mio!

MIO: Memories in Orbit takes place in a stark, highly stylized world that reminded me of my days watching shows like Liquid Television on MTV. It's not just painterly, but almost has the feeling of an avant-garde 1990s cartoon like Aeon Flux. That philosophy extends into every part of the game.

The use of bold, thick lines and muted colors looks phenomenal in action. Screenshots don't do the game justice, as you have to see the game in motion to really understand just how beautiful and graceful the art direction in MIO is. It has a distinct, retro science fiction energy that a lot of games strive for, but MIO nails in every regard.

MIO is a game with a lot of atmosphere and a world that feels tangible. It's a science fiction world that feels real, which is always rather tricky to pull off. Wandering the map, finding new areas and uncovering its dark, oddly charming world is just fabulous.

Completing this delightful package is the sound and music, which is just breathtaking. The sound design is wonderfully understated, with distant hums and a soundscape that combines ominous dread with the painful beauty of life's fleeting fragility.

The music has a synthy, sort of Stranger Things vibe to it, which is nothing but a good thing. But what really sells the allure of the music is the way MIO combines it with the immense, daunting scale that certain areas portray. The developers make smart use of their camera and the 3D space, pulling it back for wide, sweeping shots as short, pulsing synth notes drive home just how important this is.

It's never abused, either. The use of music is sparse, often punctuating large, expansive angles. These are smart developers, and clearly ones that understand the importance of restraint. It's not an easy skill, but this team has clearly understood what games can do and the kind of emotions they can create.

NPCs are also lovely, and their oddball, funky little stories make up the background of MIO's world. Finding adorable little robots hidden away in alcoves is always heartwarming, but the other background characters give MIO so much of its raw, unfiltered emotional punch.

Voice acting does not happen often in MIO, but when it does, it genuinely hits like a truck. There are beautiful, haunting performances. MIO also doesn't lose sight of its own thematic identity in these scenes, either, as the dialogue in these moments often melds darkly humorous ruminations on life with the sinister dread that's waiting around the corner.

The Heart Of A Metroidvania, The Spirit Of A Soulslike

As a Metroidvania, MIO is a winner. The map is outstanding, and uncovering its numerous secrets is outrageously satisfying. The delight of entering a new area, finding an item that grants you a new way to traverse, then emerging through a shortcut that loops you back to the early part of the game, is one of gaming's most euphoric feelings.

MIO is a Metroidvania at heart, but its minute-to-minute gameplay feels akin to a Soulslike. That isn't entirely unique for the genre, so the key to standing out is making sure the combat feels satisfying. Thankfully, MIO presents a combat system that starts out fun, but by the end, is even better than where it started.

You've got all the basics of a good Soulslike present and accounted for. Attacks and dodges, small windows to dish out punishing damage, there's nothing inherently unique to its systems. What MIO does so brilliantly is just how good everything feels. MIO doesn't just look pretty. It's an absolute blast to play.

Strikes feel fantastic. Each hit has so much genuine power to it, so any sense of weightlessness that has plagued the genre in the past is gone. And that tactile feeling goes both ways, too. When you get it, you really feel it, so the tension it creates in battle is simply superb.

During your journey through MIO, you'll also gain various upgrades and new abilities. As stated, none of these are really going to break new ground. It's all fairly standard, including a dash, glide, dodge, all the usual suspects. That's not an inherently bad thing, as all of them feel incredible to use.

Platforming becomes tricky, and while it may not make you rage quite like certain sections in Hollow Knight: Silksong, some of these sections can be rather challenging. Personally, I'm a bit tired of these types of precision platforming sections that seem to dominate Metroidvanias these days, but what's here is enjoyable and not much of a detriment.

It wouldn't be a good Soulslike without good bosses, and MIO has them in abundance. There are quite a few bosses that are such a treat to battle with, as their moves and patterns avoid the frustrating pitfalls that have been a thorn in the genre's side for a while. Patterns are easy to understand, but their frequency and randomness are tuned remarkably well. No boss ever feels like it's spamming attacks, and nearly all my deaths felt like my mistake as opposed to the game having a laugh.

Unfortunately, MIO also learned all the wrong lessons from Soulslike. In 2026, I find the prospect of long runbacks to boss rooms that are filled with treacherous traps and enemies to be a bit outdated. It felt novel in 2011, but in 2026, it just feels like it goes against the very spirit of combat and honor that this genre is all about.

Some of the runbacks in MIO are shocking. It's a disappointing decision when you realize just how much fun the boss battles are, so this element feels like it should have been left in the past.

Decisions, Decisions

MIO's aesthetic isn't just for show. Technology is built into the very fabric of the way MIO presents its upgrade system, which is entertaining, but has a few odd choices that left me scratching my head.

The core concept of using upgrades, called Modifications here, but being restricted to a proper number of allocated slots, is quite fun. It makes choosing which upgrade to slot into place feel meaningful, but there are a few ways that this system works that just doesn't feel very fun or interesting.

For example, there's an upgrade to see enemy health bars. That on its own may not seem strange, but not having this equipped means not being able to see boss health bars. There's also an upgrade to see your own health bar. Having something as fundamental and ordinary as seeing health bars tied to upgrades feels needlessly complex.

Worse yet, many of the upgrades just aren't that interesting. There are a few cool ones that can increase damage output and make healing a bit easier, but on the whole, many of MIO's upgrades just don't feel that special. Considering how important that is to the Metroidvania genre, it's an unfortunate result, but not one that ruins an already spectacular game.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a dark, challenging Metroidvania Soulslike that perfectly understands what makes this genre so much fun. Combat feels precise and weighty, with fantastic enemy design and one of the most enjoyable Metroidvania maps seen in years. Traversal is incredible, and you'll be in awe of its wonderful music. Sadly, MIO also continues to use outdated Soulslike mechanics, including long, arduous boss runbacks, and the upgrade system is interesting from a thematic standpoint, but ultimately pretty dull.