Heart of Iona is an online, fantasy-themed, choose-your-own-adventure game. It's the coronation day of Princess Ella Mary Raiser! The people of Iona need a new ruler. Ella is expected to become queen in place of her uncle and serve them well. Yet, she hasn't left the palace in years because of her uncle's strict rules. Although she wants to be a great queen, she also wants to explore her homeland. The player helps the princess through this nerve-wracking event and the many adventures after by making choices for Ella from a selection of options.
Like the classic "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, this game provides a handful of decisions every so often for the reader-player to decide the next part of the story. The options often include ethical and unethical decisions. They also often feature logic-based challenges that require deductive reasoning.
The game rewards the player with character-interaction points and gemstones. The player must spend their gems sometimes to make the best decision. If they pick the wrong options and receive only a few points, they experience a negative story outcome. They must try to make allies out of servants and subjects from all walks of life to receive the most points and positive results.
Heart of Iona requires a player to have excellent reading and decision-making skills. Much of the game involves clicking through blocks of text that provide details about Ella, her people and Iona.