MIO: Memories in Orbit News

[h2]Hi everyone!! 🌘[/h2][p][/p][p]We released MIO’s Demo two days ago along with a brand new Gameplay Trailer, and we’re now being featured at Summer Game Fest 2025 to showcase some more gameplay!! 🥳[/p][p][/p][p]As you progress into the intricate environments of the Vessel, you’ll be able to unlock new memories… Strike enemies that block your way and meet with different powerful guardians, holders of the spaceship’s darkest secrets. These encounters will make you grow into a formidable force! 💪[/p][p][/p][p]And remember, if you’re eager to test MIO: Memories in Orbit now, well…[/p][p][/p][h3]THE DEMO IS OUT!! 🌠[/h3][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]For those who already tested it, how does your experience feel so far? Let us know![/p][p][/p][p]We’ve already collected some feedback, and it seems that you particularly appreciated the art direction overall, the boss fights (especially when they gave you a hard time) and the soundtracks! This is exactly what we were going for. 🥰[/p][p][/p][p]You were quick to express your opinion on different platforms and we’re super grateful for it! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you so much for playing the Demo. We worked so hard on polishing even the smallest parts to ensure the best player-experience possible! [/p][p][/p][p]To give us feedback, please join our community platform Focus Together or our Discord server, which both have a section dedicated to MIO. We’d also be super grateful for you to fill in this survey![/p][p][/p][p]If you encounter bugs, you can reach out to us through our Discord server, in the #demo-bug-reports channel on the dedicated category for MIO: Memories in Orbit.[/p][p][/p][h3]See you, little robots! 👾[/h3]

You probably have a lot of questions about MIO: Memories in Orbit, so we've put together this FAQ to address them.

It will be updated with any recurring questions we see, and with additional info we can provide as the release date gets closer, so make sure to come back once in a while!

[h3]What is MIO: Memories in Orbit?[/h3]
MIO: Memories in Orbit is a single-player metroidvania that blends challenge and breathtaking sceneries set in a vast and mysterious universe.

You wake up in the Vessel, a space ship drifting aimlessly in space. This enormous technological ark, whose initial purpose remains unknown, lies now as a field of ruins, overgrown with lush vegetation and machines gone rogue. And nobody knows why the Pearls, The Vessel's AI caretakers, have ceased functioning! Forgotten by all, the Vessel faces imminent shutdown. To uncover what happened to the ship - and to yourself - you will have to let your curiosity guide you as you discover the Vessel’s dark secrets and pathways…

[h3]When will the game be available?[/h3]
MIO: Memory in Orbit’s release date isn’t announced yet. However, you can already wishlist the game on Steam!

[h3]Can I try the game already?[/h3]
Yes! A demo is currently running on Steam, so make sure to try it before it ends!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3496520/MIO_Memories_in_Orbit_Demo
It should last between 1 and 3 hours and will give you a taste of what MIO has to offer. We’d be really grateful to receive your feedback on our community platform, Focus Together or on our Discord server. We’ll be happy to read, answer and perhaps help you, and we will be able to take your comments into account.

[h3]Here are the system requirements you'll need to play the Demo: [/h3]



[h3]Is MIO’s gameplay challenging?[/h3]
YES. Never judge a book game by its cover atmosphere… While MIO: Memories in Orbit may look serene at first glance, its gameplay will pleasantly surprise you and challenge you. Expect to die. A lot!

Don’t worry though: while the game will test your reflexes and patience, the satisfaction of mastering MIO’s abilities is worth every death!

Regarding the Demo, you can tweak the difficulty in Settings > Accessibility, if you’re struggling to progress in the game!

[h3]What is combat like?[/h3]
You will face off a diverse array of over 30 enemy units and 15 formidable guardian bosses. From the relentless Mosquito to the menacing Scarecrow, get ready to confront a variety of deadly adversaries each with their own distinct fighting styles and movement patterns. To defeat them, use your arsenal of powers to adapt to every encounter: evade foes using your Hairpin, unleash orbs as powerful projectiles, or even create decoy clones to strike from unexpected angles!

You will be able to enhance and customize MIO’s abilities by scavenging enemy components. Spice up your fighting skills with many Modifiers and transform MIO into a formidable force tailored to your playstyle. Would you make your grappling Hairpin a deadly lasso or an evade move? Sacrifice your Shield to boost your damage? It’s always your choice!

Fans of Hollow Knight, Celeste, Dead CeIlls will feel right at home. The game features exploration, challenging combat, and a deep, atmospheric world!

[h3]How’s the environment like?[/h3]
The ship is a vast, interconnected environment with multiple biomes, secrets, and shortcuts to discover. As a gigantic labyrinth, the Vessel is a true living organism, with its own ecosystems, bestiaries and architectures. You will need to master precision, rythm and timing, and also use a variety of abilities, like grappling hook, air gliding or spider-like wall clinging, to help MIO progress through this twisted and interconnected space.

[h3]Who is developing the game?[/h3]
MIO: Memories in Orbit is developed by Douze Dixièmes, a talented French indie studio, and published by Focus Entertainment. The same partnership behind our previous title, Shady Part of Me!

[h3]How can I follow development updates?[/h3]
You can follow the game’s X page for sneak peeks and development news here (lien). You can also directly find them on Focus Entertainment’s community platform, Focus Together. And don’t forget to join our Discord server that features a dedicated MIO category, if you have any question!

[h3]How long is the game?[/h3]
MIO: Memories in Orbit should last between 20 and 30 hours.

[h3]How can I support the game?[/h3]
Wishlist the game, play the Demo and give us your feedback, share it with your friends, and join our community on socials to help spread the word!

[h2]Hey everyone! ✨[/h2]

MIO: Memories in Orbit’s Gameplay Trailer is here! Get prepared for fast-paced exploration, challenging combats and deadly foes. 💥🪐

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In the vast and interconnected environments of the Vessel lives a vast array of merciless enemies, ready to strike you down… If you wish to uncover the secrets behind MIO's past, you'll have to master resilience and patience, for some encounters will give you a very hard time!

But not everyone is driven by malicious intent! You can also count on friendly robots to help you spice up your abilities and adapt your strategy: collect components, use them to enhance your fighting skills and transform into a formidable and fearless force! 💫



So... Are you ready to explore the labyrinthic Vessel to its depths? Will you survive until you find MIO’s long-buried memories?

Find out now!

[h3] 👉 Play MIO's Demo right here:[/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3496520/MIO_Memories_in_Orbit_Demo

• To give us feedback, please join our community platform Focus Together. A whole category is dedicated to MIO, and we'd love to hear from you over there! We'll be here to help you if you need and answer your questions.
  
• If you encounter bugs, you can reach out to us through our Discord server, in the channel demo-bug-reports on the dedicated category for MIO: Memories in Orbit!
  
• Alternatively, you can also fill in this survey here!
  

Oh and don't forget to follow MIO's X account to stay updated with the latest news about the game! We're pretty active and love to read you. 😉

[h3]See you soon little robots!! 👾 [/h3]

[h2]Hello everyone!! 👾💫[/h2]

It’s good to be back in the spring season! As I’m writing this blog, the sun is shining and we can feel its positive energy radiating! ☀️

[h3]📌 Where we’re at right now![/h3]
So much work has been done! We are incredibly proud of how far we've come, but we still have a long way to go. As of now, we still need to polish some specific parts of the map and catch up on cinematics and bugs that have remained unsolved after being pushed back for the last few months. Otherwise, the level designs are mostly complete!

[h3]🔧 There are still many things to do![/h3]
It’s been a very long process, as every area of the game is now the result of several iterations, updates, new ideas and major changes… One of the previous main path areas - a full biome - is now completely hidden and optional! 🤫

Of course, some areas we worked on will never appear in the final game, either because the gameplay wasn’t fully satisfying, or because it would have taken too much time and energy to make them functional. Usually, when that happens, the team was not fully convinced by the initial version anyway… In the end, we followed what felt right for us as a team.

[h3]🏙 The long road to Metropolis...[/h3]
One of the areas that has been a long challenge was Metropolis.

We wanted you to explore an old city, climb buildings and discover that you can sneak inside and find a whole new place! 👀 Some of those details have changed, but most of the original intention remains.

One of the very first mockup of the biome

When we started prototyping Metropolis, the first big challenge was the lack of clear objectives on how to manage circulation in such a large space. For most players, directions didn’t feel obvious, and they kept getting frustratingly lost. The next iteration we developed to solve this went a bit too far in the opposite direction. It closed the space too much and players would have been overly guided, which didn’t match our original intent for this biome.

Two years and eight iterations later, we ran some promising playtests! The spaces are now large enough to keep the atmosphere we wanted, while still giving you the satisfying feeling of getting “pleasantly” lost in the gigantic city of Metropolis!

And how were you supposed to climb buildings? Jumping alone isn’t entertaining… mostly boring! So, we tried adding some platforms. Then, some enemies. Then, grappling crystals. Ice. Energy flowers. We couldn't even tell you how many versions of this biome we made, but it’s definitely more than 10… 💪

Evolution of the first building right side for the last 3 years

[h3]🧩 The bigger picture.[/h3]
Of course, we didn’t work on this specific biome the entire time. The whole game went through various stages and adjustments, as we regularly circled back to areas that still didn’t feel quite right. Rest assured, we’re getting more satisfied every day with the current result and we’re preparing to finally let our baby game go and be played this year. It’s not always easy to let go… 😖

[h3]🖌 A glimpse at MIO’s early days[/h3]
And since the experimental process applies to everything, here’s some early research for our lovely MIO!

[h3]👀 Little sneak peeks here and there…[/h3]
First, big shout out to our French community, we definitely felt your excitement and impatience during the Games Mades in France event two weeks ago, where we showcased MIO and discussed the development process! Hope you enjoyed watching Mister MV struggle with the Demo's main boss, you'll soon be able to measure the difficulty yourself... ⁠


Yesterday, we also shared brand new gameplay footage during AG French Direct, offering you a glimpse of what’s waiting for you in MIO. We hope it makes you as excited as we are!

[h3]📅 What’s next?[/h3]
🚨 Something’s coming.
We won’t say too much… but let’s just say next week will be a very interesting one. There’s something exciting marked on our calendar, and we’re counting the days. You should too!! 🤭

On another note, well… we have to talk about the elephant in the room: Silksong is coming this year too! And Constance - we tried the demo at the last Gamescom and it looked amazing! It’s going to be a fantastic year for metroidvania enthusiasts, and we can’t wait to play all these incredible games. 🥰

By the way: thank you for all the love you showed under our X post poking fun at both MIO and Silksong being released this year, it was truly heartwarming! 🫶

Thank you all again for all your love and support, it really means a lot to our team! ❤️
We’ll see you next week... 😉

[h3]Bye, little robots!! 👾[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1672810/MIO_Memories_in_Orbit/