MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – Stunning Visuals, Familiar FPS Gameplay

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• DEVELOPER: Fumi Games
• PUBLISHER: PlaySide
• PLATFORMS: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
• GENRE: FPS / Detective
• RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2024
• STARTING PRICE: 29,99€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is easily one of the most visually striking and stylistically unique games released in recent memory. The moment you see it, you immediately understand what it’s going for, and more importantly, how much effort went into achieving that vision.

Built around a 1930s rubber hose cartoon aesthetic, the game fully commits to its identity with hand-drawn animation inspired by early animated shorts. It genuinely feels like you’re playing through a living cartoon, something reminiscent of classic characters like Mickey Mouse, and that alone is enough to make it stand out in a crowded genre.

This visual presentation is, without a doubt, the main reason to play the game. Every character, enemy, weapon, and animation is crafted with an expressive, exaggerated style that feels like a labor of love. It’s not just a gimmick either, this attention to detail extends to the entire world.

Mouseburg, the game’s setting, feels alive thanks to its carefully animated NPCs and environments, all of which contribute to a cohesive and memorable atmosphere. The sound design complements this perfectly, relying more on ambient effects and tone rather than constant music, which reinforces that old cartoon feel. Voice acting is also strong across the board, with Troy Baker delivering a solid performance as the main character Jack Pepper.

Functional narrative, fluid FPS action, and a surprisingly fun card game

Surprisingly, the game also leans more into its narrative than you might expect. You play as Jack Pepper, a private investigator navigating a noir-inspired mystery in Mouseburg. What starts as a relatively simple case gradually expands into something larger, involving both personal stakes and the fate of the city.

Between missions, you explore a semi-open hub from a top-down perspective, driving around and visiting different locations, from streets and subways to more secluded areas filled with hand-drawn inhabitants. There’s also a clue system where you return to your office and piece together evidence to unlock new missions, which reinforces the detective theme.

That said, while the story is more present than expected, it’s not particularly memorable. It tries to be engaging and even humorous at times, but it rarely lands in a meaningful way. Characters come and go, the plot gets lost in the action, and by the end, it doesn’t leave much of an emotional impact. It’s there, it’s functional, but it’s not the reason you’ll stay invested in the game.

Outside of the main gameplay loop, there are some side activities that add variety. One of the more interesting additions is a baseball-themed card mini-game, where you switch between batting and pitching phases using collectible cards found during exploration. It’s a simple system, nothing groundbreaking, but it adds a bit of charm and gives you something extra to engage with beyond shooting.

When it comes to actual gameplay, this is where things become a bit more mixed. At its core, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a fast-paced, old-school first-person shooter. You don’t have a scope, you’re constantly moving, switching weapons, kicking enemies, and relying on mobility to survive.

You can unlock abilities like dashing and double jumping, which help keep the movement fluid and enjoyable. The weapon variety is also a strong point. From pistols and shotguns to more unique options like toxic-based guns, each weapon can be upgraded through a system that improves stats and adds secondary fire modes, making combat feel more flexible over time.

Great style, satisfying secrets, and shooting that’s just okay

However, despite all of this, shooting itself doesn’t feel as impactful as it should. Visually, it’s great, enemies lose limbs, turn into skeletons, and dissolve in exaggerated cartoon fashion, but the actual feedback when you hit something feels lacking. There’s a disconnect between the animations and the moment-to-moment shooting, which makes combat feel less satisfying than expected. It’s not bad by any means, it’s just not exceptional.

Exploration is where the game really shines outside of its presentation. Levels are designed with multiple layers, alternative paths, and hidden secrets, encouraging you to take your time rather than rush through objectives. You’ll find collectibles, resources, blueprints, and even lockpicking challenges that vary in difficulty.

Lockpicking itself becomes an important mechanic, not just for optional rewards but also for progression in certain cases. There’s a constant sense that the game wants you to wander, explore, and engage with its world beyond just shooting your way through it.

Difficulty-wise, the game starts off fairly manageable but becomes more demanding as you progress. Enemy variety increases, encounters become more intense, and bosses require more movement and awareness, especially in tighter spaces.

Enemies can feel surprisingly accurate with their attacks, which adds pressure during combat, but the game generally provides enough resources to keep things balanced. It’s not an overwhelmingly hard experience, but it does demand more attention as you go further.

The final verdict

Technically, the game is very polished. It runs smoothly, with no major bugs or performance issues, and offers a wide range of customization options. From multiple visual modes and audio profiles to settings like film grain and diffusion, you can tailor the experience to your liking. It’s clear that a lot of care went into making the game accessible across different setups.

In the end, Mouse P.I. for Hire is a game that absolutely excels in presentation but plays things relatively safe when it comes to gameplay. It’s stylish, unique, and clearly made with passion, but mechanically it sticks to familiar territory without doing much to innovate. The shooting is solid but not groundbreaking, the story is present but forgettable, and while there’s plenty to explore, it doesn’t fundamentally change how you approach the game.

For around 30 euros, it’s still worth your time, especially if you value artistic direction and atmosphere. You can easily get 10 to 20 hours out of it depending on how much you explore, and it’s the kind of game you’ll come back to rather than finish in one sitting. Just don’t go in expecting a revolutionary shooter. This is a game carried by its style and execution, not by reinventing the genre, and that’s perfectly fine, as long as you know what you’re getting into.

Review copy provided by the publisher