Metroidvania MIO: Memories in Orbit has the tendency to make an instant impression on you from the moment you look at any trailer or screenshot. With that in mind, we got the chance to ask executive producer on the game, Sarah Hourcade, some pressing questions, like what inspired the studio to go with its gorgeous art styles, and what kinds of progression systems we can expect from the game.
MIO: Memories in Orbit has a really striking art direction. What were the biggest influences behind the game’s visual style, and how did you translate those inspirations into a cohesive look?
We mostly took inspiration from European comics and comics artists such as Marc-Antoine Mathieu, Christophe Chabouté, Alberto Varanda or Milo Manara in the early research, but also from animation movies such as Ernest & Célestine. We then tried to identify what we could technically do with our in-house renderers. The results come from this fragile equilibrium between technical feasibility and personal tastes.
"The use of pastel tones lends a more serene and antique feel to the overall scene."
We then used several tools and strategies to reach the mood and art direction of the game.
The use of limited palettes, often a primary color and one or two secondary colors, prevents visual information overload. Similarly, the deeper the elements are, the more monochromatic and uniform they tend to be. The use of pastel tones lends a more serene and antique feel to the overall scene.
The depiction of vastness is achieved through frequent contrasts between cramped and expansive areas, and occasionally by zooming out of the camera to reinforce the sense that the setting overwhelms Mio.
When it comes to storytelling, should players expect a more traditional approach (cutscenes, dialogue, scripted moments), or something closer to Souls-style storytelling with lore pieces and interpretation?
It’s definitely something closer to Souls-style storytelling with lore pieces and interpretation. We started by writing a deep and cohesive lore and world building and your journey is almost a pretext to discover what happened here. In the end, less than a fourth of the world building that was made is clearly told in the game but it fed the artists, the level designers and animations everywhere. It’s what made the mood unique.
"It’s definitely something closer to Souls-style storytelling with lore pieces and interpretation."
How important was environmental storytelling in shaping the world and level layout?
It was very important for us and had huge impacts on level design and art.
In the end, we’re a bit sad that we couldn’t put more of that in the game. The scenes with deep environmental storytelling are our favorite.
What kinds of optional/side content can players look forward to, side quests, hidden bosses, optional regions, collectibles, challenge rooms, or NPC storylines?
Almost a third of the entire game surface is optional. It involves several high difficulty challenges, hidden new areas, side quests, optional bosses and a bit of a puzzle to understand how to reach some parts of the vessel 🙂
Roughly how long is a typical first playthrough, and how much longer should a completionist run take?
It’s a tough question. From playtests, we estimate that the main path should take around 20 hours while reaching the second ending should take around 30 hours. Unfortunately these are average times since it can vary a lot depending on the players.
"Reaching the second ending should take around 30 hours. "
How customizable is MIO’s combat moveset through tools and upgrades?
There is a trinket system that allows you to change some elements of your combat strategy but your moveset is built around a three hit combo during the whole game. There are of course several subtleties in the ways you decide to equip your trinkets and the goal was to get a simple to learn but hard to master system.
Will there be weapon options or loadouts that significantly change how combat feels, like different ranges, tempos, or playstyles?
No, there are not.
Beyond the usual loop (new abilities unlocking new paths), what other progression systems can we expect, build crafting, skill trees, gear modifiers, upgrades, or something more narrative-driven?
You will have upgrades and narrative driven progression systems.
As a developer, what are your thoughts on the PS5 Pro? How does boost in GPU help in developing your game compared to the base PS5?
Thankfully, we were able to optimize the game sufficiently for it to run in max quality, in 4K and at 60 fps on the base PS5.
"There is a trinket system that allows you to change some elements of your combat strategy"
What are your thoughts on PSSR? What kind of opportunities will this open for the game?
We didn’t feel the need to use it for the game yet but we might explore the opportunity for our next project!
What resolution and frame rates will the game target on Switch 2 (docked/undocked) PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PS5 Pro?
- PS5 & PS5 Pro: 60fps, 4k
- Xbox Series X : 60fps, 4k
- Xbox Series S: 60fps, 1080p
- Switch 1: 30fps (720p handheld, 920p docked)
- Switch 2: 60fps (1080p handheld, 1440p docked)
On Switch 1 & 2, the graphics quality is equivalent to the ‘medium’ preset on PC.