Set the stage for the hero in narrative-driven exploration game The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs

A new first-person narrative adventure with big comedic undertones called The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs has been revealed at The Future Games Show Summer Showcase with a trailer to boot.

As the reveal lays out, you play as an inspector who is here to set the stage for the hero of the tale. You'll speak with the story's inhabitants, from dodgy necromancers to stilted signs tired of giving out endless fetch quests; issue fines and citations; and whatever else is necessary to ensure the story is hero-ready and bureau-approved.

"Our job is to keep stories from falling into complete narrative disrepair," a teaser on Steam reads. "To sand off the rough edges, slap a fresh coat of destiny on the walls, and make sure the hero isn’t walking into a disaster. Bards do not sing of stories where the inn ran out of ale and the villain failed to file the correct zoning permits."

We'd think twice about making a mess for the poor hero, though. The next stage of gameplay sees you take the role of the titular hero to see how the tale unfolds. That means the adventure that awaits is in your hands, for better or worse.

"The forests crawl with monsters. An evil wizard looms atop his tower. A wretched necromancer is doing unspeakable things to skeletons. Worse still, some clipboard-wielding bureaucrat came through, and somehow, everything’s gotten even worse," the Steam teaser continues.

I wouldn't say I'd make things that much worse. The Bureau of Fantastical & Arcane Affairs is available to wishlist on Steam now.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

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Iain Harris
News Editor, Games

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.

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