MIO: Memories In Orbit: How to Unlock the Alternate Ending

The game holds many secrets, and one of the most surprising is a hidden ending. You can choose to fight Ati and experience the standard conclusion, but there’s still content available on the Vessel if you continue exploring.

Okay, so the ending is a little sneaky! It almost feels like you’ve beaten the game when you haven’t quite finished everything. But thankfully, after you finish it once, the game lets you jump right back to before the last boss fight. That’s awesome because it lets you go back and easily find all the stuff you missed the first time around.

You’ve still got a fair bit to do, so this guide will give you a general overview. We’ll also link to more detailed guides for specific steps. Just be aware that it will likely take several more hours to gather everything and complete the process, so don’t worry if it takes time.

How to Get the Alternate Ending

First, make sure you have all the abilities. If you’ve completed the game, you might realize one is missing – this likely means you didn’t discover all the secret paths.

To get this particular ending, you need to activate the Wheel. You do this by finding the severed finger and attaching it to the hand located next to the Wheel. It can be tricky to find, but this guide should help!

Getting the Severed Finger

Go to the Redacted area and locate the Lab. Once inside, simply drop down to the lowest level and follow the path until you find a severed finger.

After you get the finger, you’ll find a shortcut nearby that leads back to the starting area. Return to the Labs’ starting point to attach the finger and power up the Wheel. From there, the process becomes more detailed, but you’ll need to turn the Wheel to open the Crucible, which is your next destination.

Gaining Access to the Crucible

This task is quite involved and requires a bit of exploration. Essentially, you need to fix the Wheel, then use it to activate fast travel after bringing the Overseer to the Vaults.

To find the Overseer you still need, go to the Vaults spawn point and turn left. Continue straight until you reach a big, empty room, then drop down inside. Look for an open drawer filled with robot parts – it’s a hidden entrance.

Continue forward along the path until you reach a tunnel that leads to another one in a big room. Drop down from the tunnel and turn left, making sure to collect the Old Core from the damaged machine first.

To get across the large pools of Gloomwater, you need to turn on all the Gloomwater Pumps. If you find areas of Gloomwater you can’t pass, it probably means you haven’t activated a pump yet. The Crucible guide has more details on what you need to do in this area.

Once you’ve found and repaired the Vaults Overseer, head past the robot and look for a tube leading into the ground. That’s where you’ll find Mel, though you can come back to her later. For now, unlock the door to the Vaults and then simply follow these steps:

Fast Travel to the Labs spawn point.
Activate the Wheel
Fast Travel to the Vaults
Take the tube above the spawn to get back to the Shuttle
Make your way up the Shuttle tube to unlock the Vaults’ Shuttle spawn point
Fast Travel to the Promenade Entrance spawn point
Take the Shuttle below the Promenade Entrance
Activate the Wheel
Fast Travel back to the Vaults’ Shuttle spawn point
Fall down the tube for the Shuttle there

It’s a little more involved than that, but that should give you the general idea. After you get to the Crucible, finishing it will unlock Flowing Steps, the final ability you need.

How to Get Flowing Steps

The Crucible is a truly challenging experience. It’s filled with tough platforming puzzles that demand precision and patience. Expect long, difficult sections that don’t leave much room for error.

I’m really excited to dive deeper into this – the Flowing Steps guide will explain everything, but basically, you’ll be choosing one of two paths and solving some platforming challenges. Once you do that, you’ll get the data you need to progress. It sounds like a fun puzzle!

After returning the item to Tomo and Samsk, you’ll gain your final ability, which will allow you to unlock a different ending to the game. Just be aware that you’ll still face many difficult challenges.

Making Your Way to the Library

You’ve likely discovered some of the library already, but there’s a much bigger section still waiting to be found. To get started, climb to the top of the Bell Tower and turn right, onto the branch. You’ll notice a small opening in the leaves – that’s the way through.

Continue along the path until you see a section decorated with big hanging lights. Walk under these lights to get to the Gloomwater waterfalls. Now that you have your new skill, you can climb the waterfalls and go straight up.

Once you’ve climbed a short distance, you’ll arrive at the library. Walk past the robot, Kassandra, to enter. On the right side, you’ll see an elevator with four floors it can access.

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You can bring this item to each floor, but the most important stop is the Lecture Hall – it lets you set a new starting location. Then, go to Precious Samples, where you’ll encounter Shii, who is determined to block your progress.

Defeating Shii

Our Shii guide covers this in detail, but here’s the gist: you’ll see a cutscene revealing some sad truths about Shii’s motivations. It’s a major plot twist that changes how you understand the entire game’s story.

After you win, you’ll unlock hidden information and see the secret ending. It’s a fairly lengthy cutscene, giving you a moment to relax and fully experience the conclusion.

Rewards for the Alternate Ending

Your main reward for getting the special ending is the “Welcome Home” achievement, proving you unlocked it. You’ll also get a short, post-credits scene where you can see how your choices impacted the game’s world.

Many consider this a happy ending, though what truly happened on the Vessel is open to interpretation. You might see things differently, and that’s okay – the important thing is you discovered a different outcome.

Even after accomplishing everything so far, there’s still more to discover within the Vessel, allowing you to fully explore and find any hidden secrets. This game is a large and expansive experience, and your adventure isn’t over yet!

2026-01-19 19:19