Iris and the Giant is a narrative strategy card game about a young girl named Iris who braves an imaginary world to tackle her inner demons and face her fears. It's a game about depression and anxiety where Iris uses escapism to cope with her life. More than this, it invited you to discover how a quest of great discovery can bring out inner strengths and build resilience as Iris turns her most difficult memories into her strongest powers.

Play consists of trying to defeat rows of enemies to reach the staircase on each level. You battle by playing cards to slay the demons blocking your exit in different ways. An axe can hit every demon in the front row or an arrow can hit one demon in sight. There are other things to explore and interact with, like hidden treasures and secret passages if you are willing to risk exploration rather than escaping as soon as you can.

Unlike most strategy battle games, when you use a card from your deck it is gone forever, and if you run out of cards, you lose! This makes every choice matter, building your deck is a series of simple decisions that leads to a lot of strategic depth and flexibility. As you gain a wider range of cards and powers you have to balance these new options versus running out of cards you were relying on.

Customizing your decks is really approachable, as you are slowly pushed to try new strategies. Even with the most careful planning, you are unlikely to make it through the depths of Iris’ mind on your first try, but that is part of the fun. When you fail an attempt, you are given some “gifts”, which could be abilities or special cards to start in your deck next time. Additionally, the memories you have found in your journey and the imaginary friends you have met along the way can be equipped to gain their mysterious powers as well, allowing for a different experience every time.

This theme of discovery is central to the game. As Iris undertakes her journey of self-discovery and delves deeper into the depths of her mind and imagination, you explore new cards and powers, uncover secret passages, take on increasing challenges, find special treasure chests and hidden caches, and begin to learn more about the mysterious giant who seems to be always watching.