Verdict
Brutal and beautiful. Those are the two words that describe MIO: Memories in Orbit. The game offers a stunning world that’s matched by an equally gorgeous soundtrack, while the level design, enemies, and bosses force you to learn and adapt if you want to survive.
Ah, it's time for my first review of 2026, and it's a rather fitting one in some ways. I'm a huge Castlevania fan, and, as such, I'm hoping to see a new game hit the scene later this year - but going into the first new Castlevania game in years without some practice seems like a hundred unnecessary deaths waiting to happen. Luckily for me, a very charming Metroidvania is here to make sure I kick off 2026 with a challenge that offers good practice for what may arrive later.
MIO: Memories in Orbit is, without question, a truly stunning game. Just one look at the trailer and the game's art shows that it possesses a certain beauty, and it's even more breathtaking than I imagined. You play as the titular character Mio, as you join her on an adventure through the Vessel, a huge ark that's gone silent. Without giving anything away about the story, you need to unravel what happened and do what you can to put things right.
Instantly, upon loading up the game, I'm blown away by the art style, which makes me desperate to explore this world to the fullest. However, that's easier said than done - MIO is quick to remind you that it's a Metroidvania, and that you should therefore ready yourself for an ass-whopping fairly early on.
As you'd expect from a game resembling the likes of Hollow Knight and Ori, you unlock new abilities as you progress. Some you can only use if you equip them, while others serve as permanent upgrades, such as being able to use your hair to attach yourself to the turquoise orbs you see around the world, helping you to reach locations that were previously off-limits.
Exploring the world is as brutal as it is beautiful, and I don't just mean because of the various enemies and bosses (but more on those in a bit). Rather, traversing certain segments is a challenge in itself, forcing your fingers to be dexterous, as you use your skills at rapid speed to avoid falling into toxic plants that want to kill you - this can be frustrating at times for sure. Still, it's pretty much a staple of the genre, and I can't deny the sense of accomplishment I feel whenever I overcome an obstacle and continue my adventure.
Fortunately, beyond the odd segment with tricky elements, the world design is fantastic, with the Vessel's various areas linking together seamlessly - early in your adventure, you'll come across several locked doors, but you'll open these before you know it. Just persevere and embrace your curious nature as you explore.
Exploring thoroughly not only rewards you with new locations and progress to your adventure, but it's also how you can discover crucial items that can help you on your journey, along with objects that can shine a light on what's happening, feeding you bits of lore that you need to piece together. Seasoned Metroidvania fans already know to search every nook and cranny, but if MIO is to be your first foray into the genre, please take this as good advice to help you out.
Naturally, as you look around the Vessel, you inevitably find bosses who want to put an end to Mio and her journey - Egis is the first. He serves as a great introduction to what you can expect from subsequent encounters. I'm proud to say it only took me a couple of attempts to learn his attack pattern, but he forces you to embrace jumping and a bit of patience in his second phase.
The boss design in this game is great, featuring a variety that keeps you on your toes; in the early game alone you'll encounter a range of bosses that force you to learn and adapt in different ways, and that trend continues as you get further into the game, with bosses frequently forcing you to learn how to use your newly acquired abilities correctly. Speaking of which, if you struggle with a boss, there's a chance that you can learn a new skill to make your life easier - it bears repeating: explore every nook and cranny. The game encourages it, and it's honestly fun to do.
Combat in Memories in Orbit is fluid, ensuring you have a smooth experience any time you do battle, which is crucial in a genre as difficult as Metroidvania - slow and clunky movements would be a massive burden. Luckily, there's no input delay or anything sluggish about fighting in MIO. You just need to learn your timings, make the most of your various skills, and ensure you equip yourself with the right ones.
While some are with you at all times, MIO also features a 'memory' feature, which allows you to equip mods. There are plenty to find or buy throughout your adventure, with early examples including seeing enemy health and exploding when you take damage, causing damage to your enemies (the latter is very useful and stayed with me throughout my time in MIO). You can swap and change your mods if you visit the various checkpoints littered throughout the Vessel, which you can also use to save your progress.
However, do you want to know what I love the most about MIO's combat? Most Metroidvanias force you to get good, and it's an approach I embrace as a glutton for punishment, but Memories in Orbit is more than happy to lend you a helping hand. If you're stuck and finding the lack of progress more frustrating than enjoyable, the kind folks at Douze Dixemes included some accessibility options to lower the difficulty - the game doesn't need to be brutal if you don't want it to be, something you may appreciate given the difficulty imbalance many face in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
There are options in the settings menu that make boss fights easier by lowering their health each time they defeat you, along with the ability to prevent enemies from striking unless you attack them first. These options make MIO a truly approachable Metroidvania, friendly to players not overly familiar with the genre.
Now you know that MIO is an excellent Metroidvania, you probably want to know about the next most important thing: performance. Well, I played Memories in Orbit not just on the Nintendo Switch 2, but PS5 as well, and I can honestly say that I prefer it on the Switch 2 - the performance is just as good, and you can play it on the go, that's a huge win-win in my book. There are no bugs, stutters, or frame rate drops to concern yourself with - something I'm eternally grateful for, because nobody needs to be dealing with performance issues in an already challenging game.
Finally, I have to give a mention to the soundtrack - Memories in Orbit's music is breathtaking, matching what you see on the screen wonderfully. From the second I could hear the tune as the game loaded, I knew I was in for an experience where it's not just about the gameplay, but the music, too, and it all comes together to create a compelling Metroidvania that's more than worthy of Hollow Knight fans.
Don't miss out on a truly beautiful Metroidvania - I'm thrilled that MIO: Memories in Orbit is my first review of the year, boasting a wonderful world, stunning soundtrack, enjoyable combat, and a good range of bosses and enemies to keep things interesting. If you enjoy hard games, there's no better way to kick off 2026.