Roger quietly stands out as one of the hidden gems of 2025.

The end of the year brings a unique opportunity: a chance to dive into the fantastic games you might have overlooked. I recently experienced a game that left me in awe, realizing I had missed its release earlier this year, and I know I’m not the only one who let it slip by. While it garnered some attention, it hasn’t received enough reviews to earn a score on Metacritic, which requires at least four scored critiques. It also has fewer than 750 reviews on Steam, with a noteworthy 95% of them being positive.

At just five bucks, it’s a game you can complete in one sitting.

And trust me, it’s unlike anything else released this year.

And Roger, which launched on July 23 for Nintendo Switch and Windows PC, is labeled as a visual novel, but it offers so much more. You step into the shoes of a young girl who wakes up disoriented, unsure of the time, whether she finished her homework, but certain she needs to prepare for school. The gameplay involves clicking buttons in the correct sequence or adjusting sliders to complete various daily tasks.

You attempt to brush your teeth. Four buttons appear on the screen, and you use them to grab toothpaste, a toothbrush, and apply the former to the latter. If you hit the buttons in the wrong order, you have to try again. This time, focus on just picking up the toothbrush.

Next, you head downstairs to wake your dad. For a fleeting moment, you recognize him — but then he’s wearing a hat. Dad never wears a hat! His face blurs and vanishes from the screen, and suddenly, you’re left alone with a stranger.

You try to call for help. 911 seems like the logical choice. But the buttons don’t match the phone layout. By the time you dial the right number, the strange man approaches and hangs up the call.

If you want to take my word for it, you can stop reading now. Personally, I believe the marketing summary doesn’t do And Roger justice; revealing its “twist” doesn’t capture the full impact of the narrative, and keeping it under wraps only enhances what makes the game so remarkable.

And Roger quickly reveals that you’re actually playing as an elderly woman with dementia, a condition that leads to memory loss and is often associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The man in the house isn’t just a “strange man”; he’s someone significant in her life whom she no longer recognizes.

He’s doing his best to care for her while grappling with his own patience — with himself, with her, and with the challenging situation they find themselves in. Throughout And Roger, you witness the small ways he shows care and copes. He writes down recipes in large, simple text, cleans up a mess in the bathroom, collapses on the sofa in exhaustion, prays, and cries. His presence starkly illustrates that dementia’s effects extend beyond the patient.

Through its puzzles, And Roger highlights the difficulties of living with dementia. The buttons you need to press shift around the screen, making it hard to remember the correct sequence. Sliders operate on invisible lines, creating a frustratingly unclear path to solutions. What should be simple tasks become maddeningly difficult.

In this way, And Roger is brilliantly subversive. By transforming typical gaming actions into perplexing challenges, the game reflects, in part, the experience of living with dementia. As you solve puzzles, you begin to uncover the connection between the woman and the man, getting to know her charms and quirks. She’s a fantastic cook, known for her delicious stew. She has a sweet spot for baked goods — especially a good baguette! Public speaking makes her anxious. While marigold might be her favorite color, she also loves periwinkle and fuchsia.

But just as she remembers, she forgets.

Memory loss is a common theme in games, often used as a trope. You wake up confused at the start of an RPG or shooter, suffering from amnesia that conveniently erases your identity. This sets the stage for characters to deliver exposition while you gradually regain your abilities as you progress. Miraculously, once you fill out your skill tree or acquire the ultimate weapon, your memories return, allowing you to save the day. Congratulations! You’ve heroically overcome amnesia.

However, reality is far less forgiving, as And Roger explores. Dementia affects over 50 million people annually, according to conservative estimates. There’s no cure. Once diagnosed, treatment focuses on managing symptoms, which is no easy task. Dementia patients often face a range of health complications, from hypertension to loss of appetite, which can lead to severe cases where some stop eating altogether.

Our understanding of the disease is limited by our education. Medical researchers have been studying it for over a century, yet there’s still so much to learn; just last year, doctors at a university began the first clinical trial for a recently recognized form of dementia. Continued research relies on education, so for those advocating for a cure, no amount of awareness is too much — even if it comes through a charming video game.

Every few years, a small game emerges that delivers a powerful message wrapped in an artfully crafted experience. In 2018, Gris offered a poignant reflection on escaping a colorless, depressive fog, exposing the struggles of chronic depression. 2021’s Unpacking tackled obsessive-compulsive disorder and the impact of abusive relationships. Gone Home addressed PTSD in 2013, while That Dragon, Cancer explored the realities of cancer in 2016. When reflecting on the most impactful games of any given year, it’s often the smaller titles with immense heart that stand out.

And Roger is that game for 2025. It’s truly unforgettable.

And Roger is available now on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.