2026’s Best Metroidvania Might Outclass Hollow Knight: Silksong Already

Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most rewarded games of 2025, delivering on the hype of its multi-year long wait as a stellar Metroidvania in every regard. However, despite its praise, Silksong is subject to various criticisms related to the game’s difficulty and features compared to the original hit that inspired the sequel. By comparison, a recent Metroidvania released in 2026 seems to not carry Silksong‘s flaws, even while carrying plenty of similarities.

Despite Mostly Positive reviews on Steam, Silksong is not a perfect game. Without a doubt, this Metroidvania has gorgeous and detailed worlds made with a distinct artstyle, making every inch worth exploring. That being said, the gameplay of Silksong can be fairly punishing at times, with the game’s non-linear design also getting players lost and frustrated early on in their adventures.

MIO: Memories In Orbit Represents The Pinnacle Of The Metroidvania Genre

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a stunning Metroidvania where you explore a derelict space station called the Vessel, an arc of progress that has become overgrown with alien plant life and machines that have gone rogue. You play as a robot trying to save the spaceship from destruction, exploring many intertwining parts of a decaying sci-fi metropolis. The exploration of this game comes with deep, rich world building, similar to Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s detailed approach to its lore.

The hand drawn artwork of every environment and character in MIO: Memories in Orbit make it look like a dynamic painting, with breathtaking scenery inspired by comics, anime, and works of art. Choral harmonies dominate a haunting yet beautiful soundtrack, which shifts based on your actions as you play. Unlike some Metroidvanias, MIO makes doubling back to areas you’ve visited exciting, as hidden paths and new secrets are around every corner.

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One of Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s best features is how its combat and exploration are seamlessly interwoven, but MIO shares that trait with an added twist. In Memories in Orbit, exploring and fighting are tied to your rhythm, granting players with the right timing extra momentum in their movements or attacks. Mastering the flow of MIO with precise inputs will help you overcome any challenge, especially as you unlock new abilities throughout your journey.

Both Silksong & MIO Have Similar Approaches To Creating Fluid Gameplay

Silksong gives you multiple ways to customize your playstyle, allowing you to change properties on Hornet’s attacks to craft something that works for you. Although many of Hornet’s core skills remain unchanged, you can lean into using specific abilities and tools more to exploit various enemies and bosses. MIO: Memories in Orbit takes this idea a little further, giving you a longer list of ways to fully craft a version of its protagonist that resonates with you the most.

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The main character of MIO can turn their grappling Hook into a move for evasion or a tool to rope enemies closer. Players may choose to remove defensive mechanics for extra damage, or reducing the effectiveness of their offense to shrug off more hits. Nearly every combat skill in MIO is customizable, representing a personalized approach to gameplay. Much like how mastering Silksong‘s combat can make you feel unstoppable, modifying how you fight in MIO: Memories in Orbit feels fluid and responsive.

When playing Silksong, the appeal comes from how each combat skill marries each other perfectly, from timing strikes for parries to using momentum from aerial strikes to dodge future attacks. This tactic is seen in MIO differently, focusing more on offensive tactics and gadgets based on your build. The movement in MIO is faster at a base level compared to Silksong, leading to faster battles where more actions are required. Each direction has a distinct identity, working well for Metroidvanias where those mechanics are constantly being engaged with.

Good flow with gameplay features bleeds into exploration too, where you have to platform around the map using your abilities. One of Silksong‘s biggest strengths is how every skill lends itself to traversing through areas, but some zones have hazards that make certain areas feel painful to move through. As far as Metroidvanias go, MIO: Memories in Orbit includes so many refined ideas in its moment-to-moment systems that never feel like a battle against the player like some locations in Hollow Knight: Silksong do.

Do you think MIO: Memories in Orbit has the potential to be a more refined Metroidvania than Hollow Knight: Silksong? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!