Preview Inspired by the best, this new French video game charmed me. I played MIO: Memories in Orbit and I can’t wait to see more
Published on 08/31/2024 at 2:00 p.m.
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Between Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario and Luigi and Metroid Prime 4, MIO: Memories in Orbit has made a nice place for itself among the good surprises of the Nintendo Direct. It is the next game from the studio Douze Dizièmes and I was able to play it during gamescom. A promising title.
First presented during the Nintendo Direct on June 18, MIO: Memories in Orbit intrigued some viewers with its particular aesthetic. It is signed Douze Dizièmes, the French studio behind Shady: Part of Me. If the trailer released leaves no doubt as to the metroidvania nature of the game, it still suggests that the title displays an element of mystery. During the gamescom in Cologne, I was able to play it for an hour in addition to being accompanied by executive producer Sarah Hourcade. Enough to teach me several things about the development and characteristics of this MIO: Memories in Orbit.
The best of their kind as a source of inspiration
Among my recurring questions in interviews with developers, the one about their video game inspirations has a special place for me. In addition to allowing me to gauge what type of game I should expect, it allows me to learn more about the studio’s tastes. As for MIO: Memories in Orbit, Sarah didn’t hesitate: Hollow Knight (the reference of the genre in recent years), the studio From Software and the independent game Tunic.
We’ll come back to this in detail later, but the Hollow Knight inspiration is apparent from the very first moments of gameplay. To begin with, our little robot stranded on a planet in chaos has the same arsenal: a series of three ground strikes that remain the same throughout the adventure. To add a bit of spice, it’s in the air that he varies his series: downward-facing attacks allow him to lean on his enemies while upward-facing attacks inflict heavy damage.
We also find this Hollow Knight influence in the secrets hidden in the world of MIO, at the end of demanding platforming sequences. Enough to delight the amateur in me but which risks frustrating the neophytes who would have become curious about the game.
And at first, I thought that it was in this demand for combat and platforming that Douze Dixièmes had taken inspiration from From Software (Elden Ring, Dark Souls…). During my exploration of the demo, it was then for its whispered narration that I thought I had found the touch of From Soft’.
The story is told through cutscenes, but we don’t want to take the player by the hand. It’s up to him to make the story.
And of course, the game has two endings. The one reached by a majority of players after about fifteen hours of play. Then there is the one for others, more die-hard fans of the genre, who will invest about forty hours in order to have the good end. But in reality, it is for something else that Douze Dixièmes is inspired by From Soft’:
It’s mostly for shortcuts. They’ve been put everywhere and there are barely 5-6 rest points per area.
Enough to make MIO: Memories in Orbit even more difficult since we realized halfway through that, unlike Hollow Knight or Elden Ring, our main character had no way to heal himself during his fights. The paths to reach the bosses of the areas are longer but that’s on purpose: we are encouraged to explore the different corners of the game. One of the key characteristics of the genre that we find with a certain pleasure here.
A unique artistic direction
A certain pleasure first of all for the particular graphic style of Douze Dizièmes. I had the impression of, even if I understand that the two titles display a different visual aspect, finding the video game Gris. A title appreciated by the studio.
It’s since Shady Part of Me, released in December 2020, that the studio has been trying to give this handmade pastel aesthetic. And even if Sarah Hourcade admits that everything is done on a computer, it didn’t stop me from being charmed. MIO: Memories is a two-dimensional title with 2.5D settings, that is to say present in the background. It is even possible, with the right joystick, to move the camera to observe the surroundings. No mechanics make use of this possibility but it can allow you to discover hidden passages, like the hole in a staircase that is missing a step.
Unfortunately, I was only able to appreciate this aesthetic in one environment: that of a city within an ice mountain. But rest assured: there are other different biomes and I personally look forward to seeing the work that has been done with other colors than blue and white.
Careful controller feel in hand
Secondly, we enjoy finding the mechanics of the metroidvania thanks to the sensations of the controller in hand. Our little robot responds very well with the controller in hand despite the different challenges to which it is subjected (bosses, platform passages).
A nervousness that I was able to find again thanks to classic mechanics of this kind of game. Our little hero recovers powers during his adventure allowing him to explore, little by little, regions that were closed to him. At first, as in the classics of the genre, he learns to make a second jump in the air. His long hair allows him to serve as a grappling hook on enemies or to imitate the spider by clinging to the walls.
Abilities that have a dual purpose since they are essential for exploration and can be used in combat. When he grabs an enemy, MIO has a limited time where he is invincible. We also find a certain nervousness in the fights thanks to the many tools allowing our little robot to stay in the air. Too bad that this is pulled down by a power gauge, limiting the use of the grappling hook and spider power. A bias of Douze Dixièmes who prefers to bet on the demands of his game.
Nos impressions
Conclusion – MIO: Memories in Orbit does not promise to be the UFO that will reshape the foundations of the two-dimensional action and platform game. However, it has a neat level architecture, a unique artistic direction and offers excellent controller sensations in hand for fans of demanding platformers. Enough to promise great things for its release in 2025 on PC and consoles, and why not be a beautiful star in the metroidvania landscape.
Editorial opinion
Promising
