GAME CLEAR No. 272 -- and Roger

and Roger (2025, Switch/PC)

Developer: TearyHand Studio
Publisher: Kodansha
Clear Version: Switch
Clear Platform: Switch 2
Clear Date: 1/13/26

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Why should I care?
and Roger reflects thoughtfully on a challenge millions will face and more will be affected by in a way I’ve not seen before in this medium.

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Isn’t this where we came in?

At least in the game news and social media circles I run in, and Roger was one of the true indie darlings of 2025. It seemed every week or two after its release, I’d see another article or post praising it as a brief, touching, and must-play title. Always such praise would be prefaced by something like “I don’t want to say much about this game, but…” And fair enough, it’s an hour-long interactive fiction whose narrative leans pretty heavily on a twist that is unadvertised in its promotional materials and digital storefront copy. I feel that I’m in much the same position. Although my endorsement of the game is not as steadfast as some I’ve seen, I do think it’s good, and its uniqueness and brevity help make it more than worth checking out even for skeptics.

The game opens with a young girl waking up one morning and getting ready for her day. She enters her living room to discover a strange man — not the father she lives with. You advance the narrative by completing a series of basic point-and-click and drag-and-drop minigames. These can seem somewhat awkward and clumsy at first, but you will discover they are in fact ludonarratively harmonious if you give the game time.

I once again find myself trying to avoid discussing the game’s central theme, which most folks who recommended this game and indeed most critical reviews I read seemed to do as well. I will admit, somewhat embarrassingly, that I actually sort of whiffed on that very theme when I first played through the game. I had gone into the game thinking it would be about one or more other things (presumptions colored pretty plainly in hindsight by some particular personal biases). Once I read a bit more about it and realized my mistake, I had a much greater appreciation for how the game handled its primary subject and was in disbelief that I had missed it. Perhaps I would have actually been better served by having been spoiled on that in the first place! Then I’d have analyzed the writing and design decisions with my brain pointed in the right direction from the start. In any case, I can at least recommend avoiding going into this game with any preconceived notions of what it might be about. Just let the events unfold, and that will become clear.

Having put my embarrassing literacy and comprehension gaffe behind me to the best of my ability, I do now see a very nice story with a theme I’ve never seen before in games. Just as importantly, it is served well by its interactive elements. To me, narrative-first games have a sort of inherent burden to demonstrate why they are games at all. and Roger does so convincingly. I even revisited a couple of its little games after finishing it to better appreciate them.

Its simple, hand-drawn art style and understated but pleasing soundtrack give a certain warmth to a game that presents us with some dark and uncomfortable moments. Indeed, they fit nicely with a game that strives in the end to be an optimistic one.

Some of the takes I saw offered and Roger up as another bit of proof that games are art or that some stories can only be told through games, things of that nature. I’m somewhat credulous to the latter but don’t really care about the former. I also, frankly, simply don’t think it’s amazing. It’s sweet, thoughtful, intentional, and earnest. All great qualities. But I don’t think it’s quite the elevated piece that it struck some as. Big talk coming from a guy that didn’t even get it as the credits rolled, I suppose. :)

To be clear, I still think people who enjoy interactive fiction or VNs or adventure games should give it a look. You probably haven’t played anything quite like it, even as moody indie musings on touchy subjects become more and more common. Given its short runtime and inexpensive price, the bits of it that are intriguing are almost certainly worth more than the time and money it will cost you to see it for yourself.

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I’d like to remark below the fold here that this game got me thinking about achievements/trophies and how they’re really quite silly as a platform requirement (which they are on PlayStation and Xbox). This game has has not been released on either of those platforms. That may be a coincidence (Switch + PC covers a huge amount of the market and is a very common pairing), but I certainly think that if I had been the one to make this game, I’d really have struggled with the idea of putting little goofy cheevos throughout. A big “Achievement Unlocked!” notification simply doesn’t pair well with an emotional and/or challenging narrative. I say this as someone who loves the thrill of popping a platinum trophy as much as anybody.

I don’t think I’m going to convince Microsoft or Sony to ease their platform requirements, but this is a thought I’ve long had squirreled away in the back of my mind in the old “games as art” file. Just wanted to get it on record somewhere, I guess!