How does one properly deal with grief? The grief of recollecting beautiful memories, knowing they can never return. The grief of watching the life you built for yourself drastically slip away. The grief of seeing a loved one lose themselves to dementia. I’ve lived these moments. The pain of watching my grandfather, the kindest and gentlest man in my life, lose his entire personality and identity to dementia. The worst part is arguably watching the disease progress, seeing him lose more and more every year. Yet, throughout these powerful and intense moments of grief, love shines through in every scenario. This is the excellence of And Roger, a visual novel that swept me away with its brilliant gameplay and masterful storytelling, and for the first time in my life, made me reconsider how I critique inaccessibility.
Spoilers for And Roger to follow.
Developed by TearyHand Studio, And Roger follows a couple as the wife, Sofia, progressively loses herself to dementia. The hour-long game, composed of three chapters, recounts moments throughout Sofia’s life, particularly those associated with her husband, Roger. Players see the evolution of the couple’s life together, performing varying quick-time events to progress the story. Yet, with each loving and tender core memory, the shadows of Sofia’s disability continuously lurk.