Developed By: Douze Dixièmes
Published By: Focus Entertainment
Category: Action
Release Date: 01.20.26
Price: $19.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review
Mio: Memories In Orbit came out recently and is a strange game. It ticks all the boxes for what I don’t like in a game, but I couldn’t put it down. I don’t really care for 2D Platformers and Metroidvanias. I hate when games don’t have a real sense of direction. I also get bored quickly if it takes too long for a game to pick up steam. It raised many of my gaming red flags, but it was on of the most beautiful games that I ever played.
The game is about a robot named Mio who wakes up on a huge spaceship that’s seen better days. Despite being nearly abandoned, the ship has a lot going on. There are different biomes, secret areas to explore, and other robotic NPC’s that you meet along the way. The game starts off slow and with no direction, but it gets going after an hour.
But did I care about the story and characters? No not really. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a beautiful story scattered across The Vessel. You’re slowly going to understand why the ship became desolate and it’s going to be up to you to fix things. As you play more, the game will look more like a half-completed puzzle than a bunch of mismatched ones. After those first few hours the overall story becomes well-thought out and intriguing. But I didn’t care about that.
There will be lots of people who do though. People will love the story and the gameplay. But since the first hour was so slow, I was ready to give up if not for the phenomenal visuals. Character designs and the foreground are okay, but the backgrounds are some of the best I’ve ever seen. They’re huge with so much detail. Early on there was a crashed train and I just stared at it for a few seconds because I was in awe at how good it looked. Almost every biome is as breathtaking.
The gameplay is also pretty standard as you run, jump, and attack your way through each biome while fighting off enemies. Your attack arsenal is quite weak but as you play, you’ll unlock a few handy skills like the ability to climb walls. Most of the fights were pretty simple because you just had to attack the enemy a few times, but boss fights were way more challenging.
Even with all my personal gaming red flags, I really enjoyed playing through the game because it was quite the cinematic experience. People who love this kind of storytelling and gameplay will get even more out of the game than I did. You can easily get 15 to 20 hours of gameplay, and for just $20, you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth.
4/5
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