Mouse: P.I. for Hire – A Hard-Boiled Trip Through the Looking Glass (With Extra Fromage)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a stunning 1930s-style noir shooter that balances '90s-era combat with incredible artistic flair, though it occasionally trips over its own feet with too much hand-holding and pop-culture winks.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well? Like you meant to light a candle but accidentally summoned a localized sun in your living room? That’s the vibe I’m getting from *Mouse: P.I. for Hire*. We’ve all seen the trailers—the black-and-white, rubber-hose animation that looks like Mickey Mouse decided to trade his optimism for a pack of unfiltered cigarettes and a snub-nosed revolver. But does it actually hold up once you’re the one pulling the trigger?
Matt Wales over at Eurogamer has been putting in the hard yards with a review of Fumi Games’ latest, and I reckon his findings are exactly what we need to sift the digital gold from the corporate dross. Because let’s be honest: in an era where 'revolutionary' usually just means 'we added a battle pass,' seeing a game that looks like a 1930s fever dream is enough to make any jaded wizard sit up and take notice.
First off, let’s talk about the 'little touches.' I’m a sucker for these. It’s like finding a secret compartment in a wizard’s staff that just holds extra tea bags. Matt points out that our protagonist, Jack Pepper—voiced by the ubiquitous Troy Baker, who I’m starting to think is actually five different people—absentmindedly hums the theme tune during the splash screens. When you get into a scrap, a boxing gong dings. When you win, three bells clang. You even drive a little car across an isometric map to get to missions. This isn't just a game; it's a labor of love that’s been polished until it shines like a freshly minted silver coin. It’s that level of craftsmanship that makes my inner skeptic go, 'Alright, fair dinkum, you’ve got my attention.'
The setting is Mouseburg, a city dripping with jazz, rain-slicked streets, and more noir tropes than you can shake a wand at. We’re talking femme fatales, crooked politicians, and shadowy cults. It sounds like a Saturday matinee adventure gone wrong in the best way possible. But here’s where my cautious optimism meets a bit of gentle skepticism: while the artistry is sumptuous, the game underneath is a bit of a classic 'boomer shooter' at its core. You’ve got your pistols, your shotguns, and your tommy guns. It’s a '90s foundation wrapped in a '30s tuxedo.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I love a good boomer shooter. There’s something refreshingly honest about a game that just asks you to move fast and shoot things. But Matt notes that the enemies are mostly 'brainless cannon fodder.' They’re programmed to hurtle at you like they’ve just seen the last wheel of brie in existence. It makes for intense, adrenaline-pumping encounters, but it doesn't exactly require the tactical mind of a grandmaster. Jack’s got a toolkit that includes double-jumps, dashes, and eventually a grappling hook and a propeller glide. It’s all about momentum. You’re sliding, jumping, and booting enemies in the face while snaffling up health restoratives. It’s chaotic, it’s slapstick, and it’s fast. But—and here’s the kicker—it can feel a bit one-note.
But wait, there’s a silver lining! Fumi Games seems to know exactly when to change the record. Just as you’re getting tired of the same old arena fights, they throw you into an opera house where the scenery shifts as you fight, or a graveyard skirmish involving a flashlight and skeletons. The boss battles, in particular, sound like a highlight—one involving a furiously circling airboat in a swamp that sounds like a right old time. The level design also seems to be doing some heavy lifting. We’re talking large, looping spaces that allow for a bit of exploration and light puzzling. It’s not just a linear corridor; it’s a world that feels lived-in, even if you are essentially a cartoon mouse with a badge.
Now, let's put on the wizard hat of skepticism for a moment. There are a couple of things that make me raise an eyebrow. First, the 'hand-holding.' Apparently, the game has a massive onscreen objective marker that you can't turn off. Mate, if I’m playing a detective, let me do the bloody detecting! It’s like someone giving you the answer to a riddle before they’ve even finished asking it. Matt calls it 'patronising,' and I have to agree. Especially when the game already has cool, immersive hint systems like a fingerprint brush. Why ruin the magic with a floating yellow arrow?
Then there’s the pop-culture references. Now, I love a good nod to the greats, but when you start naming weapons 'James Gun' and throwing in references to *Mario*, *Fallout*, and *Twin Peaks*, you risk breaking the spell. If the world you’ve built is as rich and atmospheric as Mouseburg seems to be, you shouldn’t need to lean on other people’s homework to keep us interested. It feels a bit like a wizard trying to impress you with card tricks when he can actually fly. Just fly, mate! The flight is the cool part!
From a Web3 perspective—since I know some of you are wondering if this is where the digital ownership magic happens—there’s no mention of blockchain here, and honestly? That’s fine. What we’re seeing is a high-quality, independent vision being realized with the kind of artistic fidelity that would make any NFT artist weep with envy. If we want gaming to move forward, we need this kind of creative risk-taking. We need games that prioritize a unique 'vibe' over safe, corporate-mandated realism.
So, what’s the verdict? Despite a few minor blemishes—like those pesky objective markers and some tonal dissonance in the script—*Mouse: P.I. for Hire* sounds like a genuine triumph of style and spirit. It’s a 15-hour romp that proves you can build a modern game on an old-school foundation if you’ve got enough heart (and enough jazz). It’s clever, it’s observant, and it’s unapologetically weird.
I reckon it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to move forward is to look back—way back, to the days of rubber hoses and ink stains. Just maybe leave the James Gun at the door, yeah? I’m cautiously optimistic that this is the start of something special for Fumi Games. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see if I can drop a literal piano on someone’s head. For research purposes, obviously.
*This article was repurposed from an original review by Matt Wales for Eurogamer.*
Tags: Indie Games, Mouse PI for Hire, Boomer Shooter, Gaming News, Noir
Original article: Eurogamer