MOUSE: P.I. For Hire

I didn’t expect to feel so giddy running through a city full of mice, jazz bands and gunfights, but MOUSE: P.I. For Hire hooked me from the first frame. Fumi Games tosses you into Jack Pepper’s trench coat and lets you spray tommy-gun fire through hand-drawn rubber-hose animation that looks like it was pulled from a lost 1930s reel. It’s part boomer shooter, part detective adventure and wholly distinctive because of its aesthetic and soundtrack. If you like Cuphead’s vibe but crave first-person chaos and a noir mystery, this one’s likely to stick with you.

Slugging Through Mouseburg's Streets

The core loop feels like a love letter to old-school shooters with a cartoon twist: move fast, dash when bullets fly, and never stand still. Combat is frantic and momentum-focused — wall-runs, grapple-hooks and double-jumps are not gimmicks but essentials to survive encounters packed with rats, shrews and well-armed goons. Weapons are deliciously goofy yet functional: a spread shotgun that actually matters, machine-gun ratchets, and several over-the-top cartoon guns that make each fight feel different. Encounters reward positioning and timing; I found myself dashing through chokepoints, grabbing a power-up and flipping the room on its head. Metroidvania-style traversal pops up between set-piece levels, unlocking shortcuts and secret areas that reward exploration with ammo, cards and story bits. Boss fights tend to be large, loud and very scripted, leaning into bombastic patterns that feel satisfying once you learn them. Overall the gameplay scratches that DOOM-in-Cuphead itch with a detective coat on, balancing shootouts with mobility and a smattering of puzzle-lite investigation.

Cartoon Chaos and Detective Tools

Where most shooters would simply hand you a gun, MOUSE layers in detective trinkets and minigames that sell the noir fantasy. There’s an evidence board in Pepper’s office where you pin clues, lockpick minigames that feel tactile and rewarding, and side missions that lean into sleuthing rather than pure spray-and-pray. Consumable power-ups — the spinach-style boosts — are gloriously overpowered and turn tense fights into glorious chaos when used at the right moment. The game also peppers in collectibles like baseball cards and little interactive props that beg you to poke around; some players call it “spammy,” and I get it, but more often those bits added charm rather than clutter for me. The balance between detective beats and boomer-shooter adrenaline is the title’s personality: sometimes it pauses for a clue-laden conversation, then slaps you with a room full of enemies and a big band track.

Jazz, Ink and Frame-by-Frame Flair

Technically the game is a spectacle: hand-drawn frames, ink splashes, and a big band jazz score that sells every alleyway and studio level. Voice acting — including Troy Baker as Jack Pepper — is solid, giving characters cartoonish gravitas without turning them into caricatures. Performance is generally impressive; Steam Deck users consistently report good framerates with sensible default caps and workable settings, though PC players are clamoring for ultrawide support and a proper FOV slider. The black-and-white palette is a bold choice that pays off stylistically but can be tiring for some eyes in long sessions; luckily there are visual toggles (film grain, diffusion) to soften it. Menu and control options are extensive, but a few hardcoded binds and minor aim feel issues left me tweaking settings out of the gate. Still, between the animation, the sound design, and the sheer attention to decorative detail, the technical presentation feels lovingly handcrafted and often irresistible.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a rare indie that marries a daring art direction with solid, momentum-driven FPS action and a surprisingly earnest detective story. It isn’t perfect — ultrawide support and a few control niggles need fixes — but the charm, soundtrack and handcrafted animation make it one of this year’s most memorable indie releases. Recommended for fans of stylized shooters and anyone who wants a noir mystery with a big-band soundtrack.