MOUSE: P.I. for Hire
Developer: Fumi Games
Publisher: Playside Publishing
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), PC
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $29.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
When a developer is aiming for a certain aesthetic, they tend to go a few different ways. Large studios aim for larger than life highly detailed titles while indie games go for unique stylization or even 2D and sprites to help bring their vision to life in a way that helps to stand out from the crowd. Then there are the brave few that take a completely different approach, something only one real indie title has pulled off in the past and now Mouse: P.I. For Hire from Fumi Games is here to do it again by delivering a boomer shooter with as much rubber-hose animation styling as possible all set in a noir-detective storyline that is just as impressive as its gunplay.
Story
Set in a 1930s styled city called Mouseburg fresh out of a war called “The Quite Big Affair” players step into the well-traveled boots of Jack Pepper, a former war hero and cop that has turned to being a private investigator. Jack may not be the cleanest mouse around, having his own issues with gambling and being haunted by the war, but he knows how to get a job done when the cheese hits the fan. Already exhausted from his previous case in the ever growing corruption plaguing the city, a new case comes across his desk that one of his former war buddies turned magician has gone missing, and not the type of disappearing act one would usually expect from a magic show.
In an attempt to track him down not only does Jack thwart an assassination attempt on an up-and-coming politician looking to challenge the current status quo, he finds that his buddy Bendel has gotten in way over his tail when it comes to the seedier side of Mouseburg, complete with gangsters, cultists, and far worse creations. To make matters worse, even as Jack investigates this case another arrives his way pointing towards police corruption that might lead to the very heart of the precinct he once worked for, all while suppressing the already discriminated against shrew population. Then, when a mysterious dame walks into his office with a case that is ready to point Jack even further down the path to danger, he has little choice but to follow this trail, especially once everything starts to converge.
Perhaps one of the best things that MOUSE: P.I. for Hire does is tie its storyline together in a satisfying yet slow enough burn to give players plenty of ways to figure out how things are going to play out while still learning about the world and the characters. This leads to plenty of unique twists and noir style turns that will catch players off-guard, especially since everything is always building to something bigger. Rarely does one investigation end with a simple conclusion, instead it points to yet another finger in the cheesecake of corruption that is spoiling the city. It also does an excellent job making the characters players interact with, and Jack himself, feel like completely believable people in the world that they are living in, as broken as they might be inside.
Of course, in case it wasn’t already apparent, the title is also filled to the brim with cheese jokes, puns, and references and not just to cheddar. There are constant references to various noir tropes, older noir style films and developments, and even a few more recent references that feel a bit out of place but still work thanks to the theming. This means that there is plenty of cheesy humor to be had in the rotten back alleys and numerous other locations that Jack will need to shoot his way through to get to the bottom of everything. Lovers of the noir genre will also have their fill here as it features all the hallmarks of morally ambiguous characters, femme fatales, and more gravelly twists and voicework than you can shake a cheesestick at.
It is also nice to note that the game is filled to the brim with little collectables and many of them do provide interesting story tidbits and worldbuilding. While some are simply baseball cards, used on a mini-game that we’ll go over later, others are newspapers of both past and current events that provide unique insight and details about how the city came to be in the state it is in, including some background information into the heinous events that took place to the Shrews and the place they once called home. Another comes in the form of generally light-hearted, if a bit scattered, comic book strips. It is worth noting that while players cannot revisit levels they have completed before, an unfortunate design choice, players that miss picking up a collectible can later purchase it at the ammunition store.
Gameplay
MOUSE: P.I. for Hire feels like it is best described as a first person boomer shooter with a few extra additions attached to make things a bit more complex. Players will only be able to fire from the hip for their chosen weapon and will often find themselves needing to search around the current arena for ammunition for their favorite weapon, healing jugs, bits of armor, or even cheese wedges that serve as carriable medkits. Rather than being limited to only two weapons at a time, players have access to all weapons they’ve unlocked through standard play at any given time, accessible through a weapon-wheel, but it is also possible to quickly swap between the two most recent weapons with a tap of a button.
The different weapons that players can eventually utilize come in the standard form such as a pistol and shotgun to the signature “Jack Gun” (Tommy Gun) to the wackier more unique ones such as the devarnisher that does damage over time, a freeze ray, and more. Players can quickly kick enemies with a melee attack to get space as well as dash around an arena to avoid incoming fire. There is a stamina meter to worry about but it rarely feels like an issue.
As players gather schematics from levels they can upgrade weaponry back at the game’s hub, which is Jack’s office and surrounding area. Every weapon, after being upgraded at least once, will unlock an alt fire that is unique in nature. Similarly other fighting options in the game come from power-ups occasionally scattered throughout the game such as pepper balls that make every shot set enemies on fire, spinach cans that are blatant Popeye references that hulk out Jack for maximum punching damage, and even the ability to pick up and throw exploding barrels around rather than simply shooting them. There are even locations where players will notice heavy objects such as anvils or pianos in an area that can be shot and dropped on enemies heads in classic cartoon fashion.
Outside of the various shooting arenas players will also have plenty of collectables to gather as mentioned before. These tend to be hidden away in off-track locations and include things such as the aforementioned baseball cards, newspapers, comic strips, or simply cash. Occasionally players will also encounter locked safes or doors that will involve a fun little mini-game of lockpicking with Jack’s mouse tail with players needing to navigate his tail through a maze and not doubling back on itself. Story based doors are impossible to fail but hidden ones or optional doors will have limitations on them such as hitting all the tumblers within a certain number of moves, not hitting any spikes, or doing it within a certain time limit, or any combination of these, jamming the lock if they fail.
Another mini-game that is entirely optional, but does offer a powerful gun if players are devoted enough, revolves around the baseball cards and game. Players can take their collected deck and try it out around Jack’s office or any of the roadstop’s along the way. The game itself is rather simple and easy to understand with players having five turns to bat and five turns to pitch, with the higher valued cards winning out with either home runs and base hits or strike-outs depending on what side the player is on if they win. This little side activity is fun and a nice little optional bonus to dabble with in-between missions.
Various platforming and light puzzle solving is also worked into the game here and there though most of these tend to involve simply following the path. Similarly, most of the platforming gimmicks tend to only really take priority in the levels they are introduced in other than the double-jump and wall run. Things such as using Jack’s tail to swing around or hover between currents of air are used less and less even as players unlock these abilities. Another disappointing aspect of the gameplay is less exploration or combat based but more structural in nature and that is the actual “detective” work. While there are optional clues to find here and there, the clues simply involve placing things on a corkboard and Jack either being stumped and having a new lead fall into his lap or put things together on their own, rather than giving players a chance to put things together themselves.
Audio & Visuals
Fumi Games has fully committed to the whole “rubber hose” style of cartoon animation by making every single moving part of the game animated in such a bendy and bouncy manner. Everything about the UI, down to the health meter being animated, unique excited bullets for every firearm, and even wacky reload animations are as bouncy as possible. The character designs for unique NPCs that players talk to are impressively unique and even enemy types have a great amount of variety, especially when it comes to boss design. Even the death animations for some are cartoonishly brutal, with heads popping off with little geysers of “ink” or bodies melting to skeletal remains when shot by a devarnisher gun, melting the ink right off their bones. The entire black and white aesthetic is also glorious looking, with every shade of gray used between to present a perfect looking feeling of a 1930s era cartoon. Players can even select various visual grains if they wish to replicate the era better, or forgo them entirely if they want to avoid a potential headache.
The voice work for the game pulls a lot of weight when it comes to making this noir story land so well. Troy Baker does a wonderful job as the battered down but ready for more Jack Pepper and the slew of other voice actors and actresses all fit their roles perfectly here as well, fitting their voices to fit the theme of a noir movie wonderfully. It is also great to note that the title features an exceptional collection of background music that plays as players explore levels and take part in various firefights with all of the tracks having a jazzy bouncing rhythm to them, encouraging players to keep on the move as much as the gunplay does.
Overall
Mouse: P.I. For Hire pulls off both style and substance with its choice of black and white rubber-hose animation style and designs combined with tight gunplay. Combine this with an engaging storyline and a wonderful voice cast that helps bring that story to life and even the few drawbacks do little to stop this boomer shooter from being the sharpest cheddar on the block, making it a must play for any fan of the genre.
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