and Roger

About

and Roger is a single player casual simulation game with horror, romance and anime themes. It was developed by TearyHand Studio and was released on July 23, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

It was a morning like all others, until she realized her dad wasn't home. In his place, a stranger who speaks nonsense and insists she "takes her medicine". Who is he? Where is dad?

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96%Audience ScoreBased on 1,112 reviews

story161 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics that effectively convey the protagonist's mental state and emotions, enhancing empathy.
Beautiful, minimalist art style combined with an emotional and poignant soundtrack that perfectly supports the story.
Highly emotional and impactful narrative exploring themes of dementia, love, caregiving, and human connection that resonates strongly with players.

Short playtime of about an hour, which some players felt was too brief for deeper exploration or replayability.
Some players found the gameplay mechanics frustrating or unintuitive at times, leading to trial-and-error interactions.
The presence of explicit religious themes and content near the end divided opinions and detracted from the experience for some players.

story
411 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
60%
1%
The story is widely praised as a deeply emotional, beautifully told narrative about love, memory loss, and human connection, enhanced by innovative gameplay that immerses players in the protagonist's experience. While some find the plot predictable or question its inclusion of religious themes, most agree it is a poignant, moving, and impactful short story that resonates deeply within its brief playtime. Overall, the storytelling is considered a masterful use of the medium, eliciting strong emotional responses and remaining memorable long after completion.
- “Absolutely superb bit of narrative storytelling.”
- “The way that the story structure and game mechanics are intertwined to tell a genuinely gut-wrenching story is incredible.”
- “A short little game which combines simple controls, visual storytelling, and evocative use of music to weave together a heart-wrenching narrative that's equal parts tragic and hopeful.”
- “The story felt hollow and manufactured, not something rooted in reality or lived experience.”
- “Left me feeling empty; I really expected it to be more emotional and enjoyed it more than I did. I liked the art style and realize it's a very meaningful story but the way it was told just did not really hit me. I enjoyed the first half of the game more and found the mechanics frustrating at times. I bought this on sale for £3 and it certainly isn't worth more. I get I'm in the minority. I wouldn't say it's bad but from a personal point of view, I think the story could have been told better. I do think it was good in explaining memory loss and confusion but I felt emotionally dead while playing it.”
- “The storytelling is not original, the interaction mechanics are overused, the hour and a half of playthrough just dragged, and to be honest, if someone considered this a tearjerking experience, they are in dire need of some good book or a movie (unless they are personally affected by something like in this game, but that just doesn't make it a good game now, does it?).”
emotional
338 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a profoundly emotional and heart-wrenching experience, often leaving players in tears due to its sensitive portrayal of themes like memory loss and mental health. Despite its short length, the narrative and gameplay intricately intertwine to evoke empathy, reflection, and a deep emotional impact that resonates long after play. It is widely praised for its honest, heartfelt storytelling, subtle interactivity, and beautiful art and music, making it a must-play for those seeking a moving, thought-provoking journey.
- “This is truly one of the most astonishing, beautiful, well-written, emotionally powerful games I've ever played and had the joy to experience.”
- “And roger is a compact yet emotionally weighty narrative experience that demonstrates how subtle interaction and restrained design can leave a lasting impression.”
- “A short little game which combines simple controls, visual storytelling, and evocative use of music to weave together a heart-wrenching narrative that's equal parts tragic and hopeful.”
gameplay
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
68%
2%
The gameplay is simple, minimalistic, and often point-and-click, but it is cleverly designed to emotionally immerse players by reflecting the protagonist's mental state and narrative themes. Though some find the mechanics repetitive, frustrating, or overly simplistic, most praise how gameplay meaningfully intertwines with the story to convey confusion, frustration, and empathy, creating a uniquely powerful and moving interactive experience. While short in duration, the gameplay effectively enhances storytelling by turning player actions into an expressive extension of the narrative.
- “The gameplay already gives you a glimpse of what the story is all about by testing your patience and your understanding of the game mechanics, which I think is connected to the characters' emotional states; such a unique way to represent or show later life in a game!”
- “This game is a masterpiece in storytelling through creative gameplay mechanics.”
- “The storytelling, gameplay, and music work together beautifully.”
- “The gameplay was extremely frustrating.”
- “I don't necessarily like it - I think the quirky gameplay sometimes gets in the way of the narrative rather than making it more interactive or interesting - but I think it's important enough to check out and play.”
- “Minor spoilers, only have two real complaints, firstly the gameplay, which I think could've done a better job to incorporate real puzzles. The game sometimes threatens to make you think about stuff and just doesn't ever, which means 95% of the 'puzzles' are on rails or brute forcible, and the other 5% are super easy.”
music
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
26%
4%
The music in this game is widely praised as beautiful, emotional, and integral to the storytelling, often described as cinematic, subtle, and perfectly paced to enhance the mood and narrative. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a key element that deepens the emotional impact and immersion, consistently pairing well with the art style and gameplay. Overall, the music is regarded as one of the standout, memorable aspects of the experience.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, at the beginning it kind of plays like a light horror in 'who tf is that, what's happening' and my god that play is so dope, had me wondering what the heck I locked into on a random Friday night, thinking 'let's play this cute game that I know will make me cry.' Absolutely play it, maybe have some tissues handy!”
- “Game play is unique and stretches your brain while still not being too complicated, music is cinematic and beautiful, fantastic art with a visual novel feel, and an incredible emotional journey.”
- “The music does a lot of heavy lifting here—it holds the pace perfectly and ramps up the tension during the more disorienting moments.”
- “The soundtrack is very impactful and carries most of the weight of the experience.”
- “The soundtrack is sparse and understated, often fading into the background or emerging gently during key moments.”
- “The music?”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The game features a beautiful, minimalist, and expressive art style with smooth animations and a carefully controlled duotone palette that enhances its emotional impact. Coupled with a lovely, evocative soundtrack and thoughtful visual design, the graphics effectively complement the narrative and gameplay, creating an intimate and immersive experience. Overall, the visuals are widely praised for their charm, artistry, and ability to convey deep, personal themes.
- “The simplified art style, the subtle music, the frictional mechanics, the way the story is told, its pacing – everything comes together perfectly.”
- “Accompanied by a gorgeous soundtrack and expressive artwork, one would be remiss to skip one of 2025's best releases.”
- “The combination of tactful colour use, hand-drawn artwork, demonstrative sound design, winding, well-written narrative, and original, relationship-building gameplay fosters a tangible affinity between the player and the protagonist.”
- “Visuals were cute but the game mechanics felt pretty overused and was annoying to navigate the story through them.”
- “The very simplistic art style goes really well for the atmosphere of this game which can change at the drop of a hat.”
- “The topic has been explored before in indie games, but the unique art style makes it worth the small price of admission.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
62%
The game's simplistic art and sound design create a strong, immersive atmosphere that shifts fluidly and encourages emotional reflection. It excels in storytelling and emotional authenticity, offering a brief but impactful experience that highlights the medium's expressive potential. However, some players feel adding stakes could further enhance the atmosphere.
- “The very simplistic art style complements the game's atmosphere, which can change suddenly and effectively.”
- “Subtle audio cues guide the player’s emotional response by creating an atmosphere that encourages natural reflection rather than dictating feelings.”
- “For players who value storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional authenticity over mechanical complexity, this game offers a brief but profoundly resonant journey showcasing the expressive potential of the medium.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
15%
71%
Grinding in the game introduces some novel storytelling mechanics that remain engaging initially but can become slightly tedious with repetition. While the short playtime keeps this manageable, some players find the puzzles and matching tasks frustratingly monotonous, occasionally hindering story progression. Overall, grinding is more of a minor annoyance than a major drawback.
- “From the early few minutes I understood what the theme of the game was going for, and maybe because the mystery was solved so early the rest of the game just felt boring and somewhat tedious.”
- “I really wanted to enjoy it but I found the puzzles and matching exercises really tedious and some I just couldn't figure out to be honest.”
- “Why ask me to perform such tedious, annoying actions to keep the story progressing?”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The optimization is mixed, with some users experiencing frequent visual stuttering and jittering, while others report smooth and flawless performance. Overall, performance may vary depending on the platform or system used.
- “Performance: I played this entirely on the Deck.”
- “Performance: Runs incredibly smooth—no issues whatsoever.”
- “Frequent visual stuttering and jittering (more than expected narratively).”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is clever and lighthearted, with developers incorporating playful elements like a hidden achievement for attempting an impossible task, adding a concise and amusing touch to the experience.
- “And I can tell the developers think it's funny because there's an achievement for trying to type a long name in a field that you can't actually type in.”
- “So concise and funny.”
- “Steamdeck was a funny experience.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the game's advertising is misleading and somewhat unethical, as it creates intrigue but reveals its true narrative theme early on, leading to disappointment with the promotional approach.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Replayability is limited due to the game's short length and lack of traditional gameplay depth, but players interested in an interactive story experience may still find it engaging and purposeful.