Mouse: P.I. For Hire
Developer: Fumi Games
Publisher: PlaySide Studios
Available on: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2
Review code provided by PlaySide Studios
A few years back, footage of an interesting game prototype started circulating online. It was a noir-inspired shooter with the visual makeup of old-school cartoons from the 1930s, like Popeye, Betty Boop and Steamboat Willie.
Well, fast-forward to the present day, and Mickey Mouse has returned, except now he’s brought his trench coat, shotgun, and a whole lot of cheese. That may seem like a strange elevator pitch, but Mouse: P.I. For Hire blends classic shooter gameplay and cartoon chaos with excellently hand-drawn animation to produce a fun, fast-paced romp through its rodent-themed take on 1930s noir.
Big Mouse, Many Mysteries
The year is 1934, and famous magician Steve Bandell has vanished into thin air, only this time, he’s seemingly gone for good. Players step into the gumshoes of Jack Pepper, a former war hero turned private eye, whose determination leads him down a rabbit hole of corruption, cults, and Camembert.
Pepper’s straight-talking, steadfast nature is brought to life by Troy Baker, who delivers noir monologues and witty one-liners befitting of the game’s tone. Pepper is joined by a cast of great supporting characters, each with their own angle and world view that livens up the dynamic.
Despite the cartoon exterior and abundance of cheese-related humour, the game doesn’t shy away from more serious topics, with corruption and prejudice serving as some of the story’s key themes; it’s a very delicate balancing act, which developer Fumi Games has navigated well in service of its noir detective story.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire truly flexes its artistic direction in its level design, and during my roughly 14-hour playthrough, the game took me to lavish opera houses, boggy bayous and haunted estates all in search of leads. It’s a world that’s full of charm, brought to life with hand-drawn rubber hose animation that masterfully captures every expressive bounce, pop and wiggle.
Put ’em up!
Beneath the monochrome visuals and rubberhose animation, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a boomer shooter at its core, with a fluid, fast-paced approach to combat. It’s here where the game gets to lean more into the cartoon silliness, whether it’s freezing foes into blocks of ice, dropping conveniently placed anvils on unsuspecting rodents, or combat encounters starting and ending with the ringing of a boxing bell.
The cartoon chaos certainly does some heavy lifting here, as the game doesn’t reinvent the genre when it comes to core mechanics. You’ll find all the usual suspects: dashes, double jumps, grapple hooks, and wall running all feature, and while they aren’t original concepts, the implementation is well executed to fit with the vibe of the game.
Many of the same observations could be made when it comes to boss fights, which, while fun and full of the aforementioned charm, many feel samey. The game has its fair share of boss fights that boil down to whittling down the boss’s health while dealing with seemingly endless waves of enemies.
Of course, with this being a boomer shooter, there are plenty of secrets and collectables to be found, including baseball cards, which can be used to play a mini-game in any of the taverns and roadhouses found throughout the game. It may lack the depth of other card games such as Gwent and Queen’s Blood, but its simplicity is arguably its greatest strength, while also harkening back to the early days of America’s pastime, with stylised player portraits on each card.
Speaking of collectables, completionists and trophy/achievement hunters should know that Mouse: P.I. For Hire does not have a collectable tracker or new game plus mode at launch, which will make it harder to 100% the game. These omissions would be much less of an issue if the game allowed you to replay missions, but unfortunately, they’re a one-and-done affair, forcing you to use up the limited manual save slots if you want to replay missions or pick up any missed collectables.
Technical Talk
The Switch 2 version of Mouse: P.I. For Hire offers both performance and quality modes. Performance mode targets 1080p/60fps when docked and 900p/60fps in handheld mode. Quality mode, on the other hand, targets 1440p/40fps when docked and 1260p/30fps in handheld mode.
I played the entirety of Mouse: P.I. For Hire in performance mode, which felt good when playing in handheld mode, but struggled to hit the 60fps target on many occasions when docked. The game suffers from stutter and frame-rate drops when the action gets busy, which is more common in the game’s final third, where gameplay can dip as low as the mid-40s in some instances.
The game also supports the use of the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controls, which work well enough, even if the game’s control scheme makes it feel a little awkward at times. As for bugs, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is mostly squeaky clean, except for a strange bug that prevented me from firing my guns, but a quick switch of weapons fixed the problem.
Verdict
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a retro-style shooter with heaps of cartoon charm. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, but instead leans in to what it does well, with solid gameplay, superb art direction and a cast of likeable characters, led by Troy Baker’s performance as Jack Pepper.
It’s not without blemishes, some repetitive boss encounters, lack of mission replay options and performance issues on Switch 2 are disappointing, but ultimately aren’t damaging enough to hold this game back from being a real gouda time.
