You know that short story that everyone always has to read for one English class or another? The one with two doors and a jealous princess and an eternally hungry tiger?

Imagine that, instead of a princess, there is a staff that has gone on strike because they’re sick of dealing with the set-up of this death trap, the king running it, the author writing the story, and most of all, the tiger.

That’s Dr. Langeskov, the Tiger, and the Terribly Cursed Emerald.

You and me both, poster. You and me both.

Dr. Langeskov is not a heist game. It is instead a game about the heist game you, the player are meant to be playing. You play as the player, except, due to unforeseen circumstances such as someone else deciding they too wanted to play this game, and the entire crew dedicated to making this game happen buggering off to go on strike, you will not be playing a heist game. You will instead be playing the “make the game happen” game, which is, arguably, a more fun game anyway.

Every moment of Dr. Langeskov drips with wry and sarcastic humour, which, if it lands, is an absolute delight and if it doesn’t will encourage you to go join the striking workers in boycotting everything to do with this game. This is a game that thrives in its stellar writing, asking the player to have faith in its exceedingly silly premise while rewarding that faith in abundance. At multiple points, I had to turn away from the game because I was laughing too hard to pay attention to what my character was doing. It’s a rare game that brings tears to my eyes, but Dr. Langeskov managed it.

While I may not be any of these things, I can confidently say I am always a bad sign.

Of course, me not paying attention or me taking a moment to clear the giggles from my throat isn’t a bad thing. This isn’t a game about mechanical precision or even playing, really. Gameplay-wise, Dr. Langeskov is a walking sim, no matter how frantically the narrator may yell at me to hurry up or to take my work seriously.

Look, if the rest of the crew isn’t taking this seriously, I don’t see why I should. It’s much more fun to push buttons, hang up ringing phones, and release the tiger willynilly.

Don't worry. There is a tiger.

It’s the combination of fantastic writing with a pseudo-frantic pace and surreal humour that makes Dr. Langeskov an absolute delight. At only 15 minutes, it’s a game that, on paper, looks like it should be longer, but yet, in the moment, feels like the perfect length. This is a skit of a game, and it executes on that premise masterfully.

Even if you do cross the picket line, you absolute scab.

Developer: Crows Crows Crows
Genre: Indie
Year: 2015
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Time to beat: 15 minutes
Playthrough: https://youtu.be/Mya8h0FgWpk