The protagonist
An unnamed bank employee who has just moved into a new apartment and must navigate a sea of paperwork.
Documented for this version
Enter | Submit a typed command Commands are entered through the text parser. |
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The game is controlled primarily by typed English commands.
No reliable DOS-specific shortcut list is included.
How it plays
Bureaucracy uses a first-person text-parser interface. The player reads descriptions, examines objects, talks to people, travels between locations, and enters commands such as examining, taking, opening, or asking about things. Progress depends on solving practical problems rather than fighting enemies or collecting conventional scores.
The adventure is divided into connected scenes involving travel, housing, financial institutions, and public services. Delays, incorrect records, and rising bureaucratic pressure form part of the challenge. Careful observation and experimentation are more important than reflexes.
Plan your run
Read every description closely and record names, addresses, numbers, and other details. Try simple variations of commands when an obvious action does not work, and examine important objects before attempting to use them.
Expect the game to punish wasted time and careless choices. Save frequently, revisit locations after receiving new information, and keep track of which organizations or characters still require attention.
Meet the cast
An unnamed bank employee who has just moved into a new apartment and must navigate a sea of paperwork.
The protagonist's pet cat. Petting it is one of the most reliable ways to reduce blood pressure.
A representative of the bank who is not particularly helpful and contributes to the protagonist's frustration.
The postal worker who shows up (or fails to show up) with the packages and letters on which many puzzles depend.
A worker connected to the ongoing problems with the protagonist's new landline.
Before you begin
Use concise parser commands and try synonyms when the game rejects an obvious verb.
Keep notes on addresses, account details, and administrative instructions.
Save before travel or any action that may consume time.
Bureaucracy is a humorous interactive-fiction adventure developed and published by Infocom for DOS in 1987. Written by Douglas Adams with assistance from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy authoring team, it turns ordinary administrative problems into an escalating comic ordeal. The player controls a new homeowner attempting to deal with banks, airlines, utilities, and government offices after moving to a new address. Play is entirely text-based: the game describes each situation, and the player types commands in response. Its satire targets paperwork, automated systems, corporate indifference, and modern inconvenience. Reception praised its writing and absurdity, although the game’s deliberately hostile bureaucracy and time-sensitive mechanics could make progress frustrating.
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