THE INSIDER SAYS: “ Take Steamboat Willie, but make him a hardboiled detective in a boomer shooter that goes all the way back to the 1930s. That is the INSTANT appeal of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire.”
It started off looking like a concept. A bit of art, a GIF shared in social media, but the devs at Fumi Games were definitely cooking something since they first showed off what would become MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. You’re Jack Pepper, a war hero turned detective, hot on a case set to tear apart the city. (Voiced by Troy Baker because OF COURSE.)
The game is CLEARLY inspired by the rubber hose, hand drawn animation of 1930s cartoons — the devs have said as much — and that’s obviously the biggest draw, up front. It certainly could’ve come off as a one-gimmick game, but MOUSE is looking pretty promising with more lurking in the city of Mouseburg. While there’s certainly a lot of boomer shooter-ing that they lean into, it also has the makings of a first-person metroidvania-ish detective game.
As the devs put it, “Explore a diverse city playground, from dark streets to classic film studios, opulent opera buildings, poisonous swamps, and underground sewers.” Going through will unravel a series of cases that could lead to uncovering a larger plot.
We’re looking forward to unraveling that plot ourselves, pretty soon!
INSIDE LOOKS:
- Black and white, hand-drawn rubber hose animation, inspired by cartoons of the 1930s
- Fast-paced FPS combat, where constant movement is key
- A thrilling single-player campaign that unravels a complex web of crime and corruption
- Over 20 noir-infused levels, teeming with mice, rats and shrews
- Fully-loaded arsenal of over a dozen unique weapons and equipment – with a cartoon twist
- Devastating consumable power-ups, capable of turning the tide of any battle
- Unlockable movement abilities and Metroidvania-inspired level traversal
- Original jazz soundtrack, featuring a big band orchestral ensemble
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire will be available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG for PC as well as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
