Iris

Video games are a great way to present people with different worlds, because it allows them to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere and observe it on their own terms. Hence, it’s always a blast to get lost in a different universe, especially if the gameplay mechanics are smooth enough to make the experience pleasant and intuitive as well.

Iris is an apparently simple 2D platformer in which you play the role of an archer trying to cross a dangerous world in order to save her sister. However, the game is not as simple as it appears at first, because the gameplay mechanics are actually very engaging and well thought out. Not only that, but there are puzzles you need to figure out along the way as well.

The story starts with the main character’s sister getting into trouble and having to be rescued, which is why Iris takes on all the monsters along the way. Speaking of which, the game world is full of bizarre creatures that remain hidden from sight until you shoot them with an arrow. The environments are very weird as well, which means that the whole experience can be pretty memorable if you spend enough time with the game.

Your bow is the most important tool throughout the journey, because it allows you to interact with the world and deal with enemies at the same time. Hence, the arrows can be used to activate switches, kill monsters and move things around, which is that much more impressive when you consider the fact that it’s just a basic mouse click action. However, the developers were ingenious enough to make a simple action extremely engaging.

On top of it all, the visual design contributes a lot to the atmosphere as well, since everything is dark and quite creepy most of the time. You also stumble upon some beautiful sights every now and again, but don’t expect too much of color. The animations are very smooth and fluid, which makes it a blast to jump around and use your bow with every opportunity you get.

All things considered, Iris is quite the surprise, especially since it doesn’t look like much in the beginning. However, the gameplay mechanics are beautifully integrated, which makes it a blast to explore the world and defeat your enemies.