MIO: Memories in Orbit - The Complete True Ending and 100% Completion Guide

MIO: Memories in Orbit True Ending and 100% Completion Guide

Unlocking the true ending and achieving 100% completion in MIO: Memories in Orbit is a multi-layered journey through its haunting Vessel. This guide breaks down the entire process into clear phases, from your initial story run to the brutal final challenges, ensuring you earn every trophy and witness every conclusion the game has to offer.

Phase 1: Story Progression & Exploration

Your first run through MIO is all about getting your bearings and pushing through the main story, which means you'll naturally earn the 'Now We Can Go On' Silver trophy just by hitting the credits. Don't treat this like a speedrun, though - the game rewards thorough exploration, and you'll save yourself a massive headache later.

You'll open up three major areas as you progress: the Vaults, Metropolis, and The Pit. Each zone feeds directly into your main objective: repairing the Vessel and attuning the four voices - The Blood, The Eye, The Hand, and The Breath. Keep an eye out for key story milestones like reaching the Rooftop and fixing the Nexus, since these unlock new zones and abilities.

Thorough exploration is critical here because you won't have fast travel yet. Grab every shiny object, check every corner, and get comfortable with the layout. The better your mental map now, the less time you'll waste backtracking during cleanup.

Phase 2: Collectible Cleanup & Upgrades

Once the credits roll, the real work begins. You'll need to sweep the entire Vessel for collectibles, and there are two big ones that gate your trophies.

First up are Coating Components - 24 in total, and every four you grab permanently adds a health slot. Collect all of them and you'll unlock the 'Fully Shielded' trophy. Next are the Modifiers: all 42 are required for the 'Fully Modded' Gold trophy. Most are hidden throughout the world, but Mel sells a few if you're missing any, so check her inventory regularly.

The fast travel system is your lifeline for this phase, and you unlock it by fixing Overseers scattered across the ship. Do this immediately after starting your cleanup - it transforms a miserable slog into a manageable checklist. Most players swear by interactive maps to track everything efficiently, and honestly, you should too. They're a godsend for keeping track of what you've grabbed and what's still out there.

Phase 3: Combat Challenges & Final Cleanup

Combat trophies are the last piece of the puzzle, and MIO doesn't make them easy. You'll face 19 boss fights total, but luckily none are missable - you can knock them all out in a single playthrough if you're thorough.

The True Ending hides behind the final boss in the Crucible, which only appears after you survive two brutal platforming gauntlets. This fight demands mastery of aerial combat, so get comfortable with the Hairpin Grapple. It lets you stay airborne indefinitely, access secret paths, and avoid ground hazards while piling on damage.

You'll also need to complete specific combat feats: no-damage runs and aerial combo challenges contribute to miscellaneous trophies, so practice chaining attacks in the air. If a boss is giving you trouble, remember that most arenas have grapple points - use them to reset your position and heal.

Understanding MIO's Endings System

Normal Ending: The Basic Conclusion

The normal ending is your baseline, and you get it by finishing the main story with the 4 Voices secured. You'll need to fight through a gauntlet of bosses - Egis, Acat, Crow, Flora, Calderon, and Lombre - and you can't skip any of them.

Here's what matters:

• You must have the 4 Voices before the final sequence. You can technically collect them after the ending, but that's backtracking you don't want.
• The ending is a gut punch: you revive the heart, but Mio dies, and the Vessel still falls apart.

True Ending: Welcome Home Trophy

The True Ending is the real conclusion, and it's the one that nets you the 'Welcome Home' trophy. You'll already have the 4 Voices from the main story, but that's just the start.

First, you need to grab the Severed Fingertip from the Vault and repair a mechanism in the Lab. After that, brace yourself for two brutal platforming gauntlets in the Crucible to unlock the 'Flowing Steps' ability. Then you can climb the waterfall in the Canopy area and face the True Final Boss - it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Alternate & Secret Endings

MIO hides more than just the two main endings. The alternate ending requires the Severed Fingertip and activating the Wheel, which puts you on a completely different narrative path.

The secret ending also needs 'Flowing Steps' - this time to access the Library and navigate to the Precious Samples area where you'll need to defeat Shii. These aren't just slight variations; they're entirely separate outcomes worth hunting down.

Step-by-Step True Ending Walkthrough

Prerequisites: Obtaining the 4 Voices

First things first - you can't even attempt the True Ending without all four Voices. I'm talking about The Blood, The Eye, The Hand, and The Breath. These aren't optional pickups; you'll get them naturally as you push through the main story, which means you need to finish the base game before any of this matters.

The Blood specifically comes from attuning Liho's Voice, which also nets you a neat 15 Gamerscore achievement. The others show up at specific story beats, so if you're missing any, you're just not far enough along yet, and unfortunately, there's no way around this requirement.

Step 1-5: Severed Fingertip and Overseer Collection

Once you've got all four Voices, your first stop is the Vault. Remember that moment where the Hand grabs you during the story? You'll need to return to that exact spot, drop down below, then hug the right wall until you reach the end - that's where you'll find the Severed Fingertip waiting for you. It's creepy, but trust me, you'll need it.

Take that Fingertip back to the Lab area, specifically the room right above the checkpoint. You'll find a broken mechanism there, and the Fingertip is the key to repairing it, which turns this spot into your central hub for the next chunk of the puzzle.

Now you need to grab two Overseers. The Lab Overseer is straightforward - it's in the area to the left, which you already opened during the main story. The Vault Overseer is trickier: head to the big room on the left in the main Vault area, look for a hidden passage inside a drawer, activate the pumps, then climb the metal grating to find it on the ground.

With both Overseers in hand, return to that repaired mechanism in the Lab, spin it to 0 degrees, drop down into the room below, and you'll collect the Vault Shuttle Overseer - this is your fast travel key for the upcoming puzzle sequence.

Step 6-10: Mechanism Puzzle and Crucible Gauntlets

Here's where the teleportation puzzle kicks in. Spin the mechanism to 120 degrees, then teleport from the Lab Overseer to the main Vault Overseer. You'll appear next to an empty lift shaft - climb it and activate the Vault Shuttle Overseer you just grabbed, which creates your fast travel network.

Next, set the mechanism to 240 degrees and teleport to the Vault Shuttle Overseer. Drop down the lift shaft again, and you'll land in the Crucible, and this place is rough.

The Crucible has two brutal platforming gauntlets, one on the left and one on the right of the overseer. If you're struggling, here's a lifesaver: turn on Ground Healing in the Assists menu. This gives your armor back after each failed section, which means you won't get stuck in a death spiral.

Complete both gauntlets, then talk to Tomo in the middle area to earn the Flowing Steps ability, which lets you walk and climb on water - a game-changer for what comes next.

Finally, head to the Canopy area. Look for a hanging platform near the center and climb the waterfall from there. Keep climbing up to a new area, go right to find a lift, ride it down to L-3 Precious Samples, interact with the bridge once, then interact again to trigger the True Final boss. Beat it, and you'll get the 'Welcome Home' trophy along with the True Ending.

Trophy and Collectible Breakdown

Trophy Breakdown: 40 Total Achievements

MIO: Memories in Orbit throws 40 trophies at you total, which breaks down to 1 Platinum, 4 Gold, 10 Silver, and 25 Bronze. The best part? There aren't any missable trophies, so you can explore everything at your own pace without worrying about screwing up your Platinum run.

Trophy Type	Count
Platinum	1
Gold	4
Silver	10
Bronze	25

Essential Collectibles Checklist

Here's everything you'll need to hunt down for those completion trophies. You're grinding for 24 Coating Components to earn Fully Shielded, plus 12 Candles for the Tribute trophy. Every Old Core in the game counts toward The Collector, and snagging all Modifiers gets you Fully Modded - which is actually useful since they do things like display enemy health bars or boost your defenses.

Collectible	Quantity	Trophy Unlocked
Coating Components	24	Fully Shielded
Candles	12	Tribute
Old Cores	All	The Collector
Modifiers	All	Fully Modded

Boss Completion: 19 Total Fights

You'll need to take down every boss in the game, and there are 19 of them waiting for you. None are missable, so don't stress about tracking them down during your first playthrough - you can clean up any leftovers after you finish the main story.

Estimated Time and Difficulty

Plan for about 20-25 hours to grab that Platinum trophy, with most players describing the difficulty as challenging yet immersive with uneven difficulty. That estimate covers earning all 40 trophies, collecting every item we just mentioned, and defeating all 19 bosses. Since MIO is a Metroidvania, expect to do some serious backtracking to sweep up every last collectible.

Pro Tips & Advanced Strategies

Map & Fast Travel Optimization

The map system isn't handed to you on a silver platter - you've got to work for it. Head just above the Nexus and you'll find Shii, who needs a few hundred Nacre to restore his pond. Hand over the currency you've earned from defeating enemies, and you'll gain the ability to see the entire world through his eyes, which is how the map works. It's weird but effective, and you can upgrade this later for portable access, which completely changes how you navigate the Vessel's biomes.

Crucible Gauntlet Assistance

The Crucible is where MIO stops playing nice. This optional gauntlet leads to the secret ending and the 'Where You Come To Die' trophy, and it's exactly as brutal as it sounds - some players spend three hours or more on single sections. Here's the thing: you don't have to suffer endlessly. Dig into the assist menu and enable Ground Healing, which lets you recover health just by touching solid ground. It's not cheating; it's preserving your sanity during the most punishing platforming the game has to offer.

Efficient Backtracking & Exploration

This is a Metroidvania, so backtracking isn't just encouraged - it's mandatory. The Vessel's paths loop and twist back on themselves, and new movement upgrades constantly reveal areas you couldn't reach before. That's why getting the map from Shii early is crucial; without it, you're basically navigating blind. And if you're gunning for 100% completion, lean on the community - interactive maps and Steam guides provide exact routes for every collectible, saving you hours of aimless wandering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Any Trophies Missable?

Nope, you're completely safe here. MIO doesn't have any missable trophies, which means all 40 achievements can be grabbed in a single run if you're thorough.

This is huge because you can actually take your time and explore every nook and cranny without that constant anxiety of locking yourself out of the Platinum. The trophy list covers the usual spread - completing specific tasks, collecting items, and hitting various milestones - so nothing's going to disappear on you.

How Long Does the Platinum Take?

You're looking at roughly 20-25 hours for the full 100% completion.

That estimate covers getting every single trophy, grabbing all collectibles, and fully exploring the world. Of course, your actual time will depend on how comfortable you are with Metroidvanias - if you're a veteran, you might trim that down.

What's the Deal with the True Ending?

The True Ending - called 'Welcome Home' - has a specific path you'll need to follow. First, you have to complete the Normal Ending, and only then can you go for the True one.

From there, you'll need to hunt down all four Voices: The Breath, The Eye, The Blood, and The Hand. Grab those, reach the Promised Land, and you're set.

But here's where it gets interesting: the Secret Ending plays by completely different rules. Instead of the Voices, you'll need to solve the wheel puzzle and obtain the Flowing Steps ability.

The good news? You can snag both the True and Secret endings in a single playthrough, so you won't need to start fresh for either one.

Conclusion

Securing the Platinum trophy and experiencing all of MIO's endings is a demanding but rewarding feat. By methodically collecting all items, mastering the game's movement, and utilizing every assist and community resource available, you can conquer the Vessel's deepest secrets. Now, with the map fully unlocked and the Crucible behind you, it's time to claim your final welcome home.