The Indie Informer

I haven’t played nearly as much as I want to of MIO: Memories in Orbit, but I already know this game is set to be something special. Putting down its recent hands-on demo is bittersweet. Mostly because I know we are headed into one of the busiest times of the year for games, and I dread this shimmering gem’s light getting overshadowed. So, I urge indie fans, whatever other games catch your eye this month, please don’t let MIO slip by you.

Wake up. It’s the starting screen prompt. My dreams are liminal and unlimited. A voice reaches me in the empty vastness of my unconsciousness, where I’m cradled by the wonderous and disconcerting feeling of a universe so much bigger than my body or cares or imaginings. Finally, a figure emerges.

I recognize myself taking form, and as a monologue of dripping silver illuminates the sky around me like stars, I learn to control my manifesting limbs. The scene reminds me both of Worldless and Citizen Sleeper, with its delicate writing and ethereal atmosphere.

However, this can only last so long, and another, more tangible but no less stirring, world forms around me. Though the 2.5 sidescroller’s action all takes place on an unchanging plane, my environment spreads out in three dimensions that spring to mind the woodcut-print-art of Blue Prince.

My motion flows in this gravity-filled world much like it did in the weightlessness of space. Running, mantling, and jumping glide my character across the screen. A familiar gameplay pattern greets me, complete with metroidvania-like barriers, branching pathways riddled with secrets, Soulslike regeneration, and health-restoring save points in the guise of a loving mother goddess sculpted from technological cables.

MIO: Memories in Orbit was selected to participate in Tribeca’s Game Festival this month for good reason. If you should find yourself in New York next week, this demo is a can’t-miss. If, like me, you won’t be able to stop by in person, the game just put a demo up on Steam.