MOUSE: P.I. For Hire review

Sometimes, a game simply can't live up to the hype. We've watched as releases like Cyberpunk 2077, though salvaged down the road, were met with groans as the initial trailers and gameplay just didn't compare. Every time I've seen MOUSE: P.I. For Hire (referred to as MOUSE from here on), I've hoped a little group in Fumi Games could meet my expectations. I mean, this kind of game just looks too good to be true, right? From concept, to trailers, to Summer Game Fest hands-off demos, to a hands-on preview last month, they've managed to keep my hopes up. Now, after completing MOUSE, I can say without a doubt that the team has delivered a standout title worthy of accolades.

The first thing that catches your attention is an immaculately crafted world. The choice of rubber hose animation is not only the right one, but the implementation is handled expertly. Each part of MOUSE's art style has care behind it, and you can tell by just how well it all works together. Whether it's the cartoon cutscenes, the standee-like character models, the detailed animations of NPC movements, or the way the guns react to being fired, Fumi Games has nailed MOUSE's classical aesthetic. Cuphead may be thought of as the best rubber hose animated game ever made, but MOUSE arguably takes the crown.

Speaking of the black and white aesthetic, MOUSE's noir setting is another representation of a team that made all the right choices. Some games would be boring in black and white, but not MOUSE. The shades of the limited color palette sings because of intricate art design – the rodent characters all have amazing detail to their models.

This extends to the environments, which exhibit the themes of the gritty world they inhabit. One way Fumi Games keeps MOUSE fresh is by taking you to a bunch of different locations while establishing a hub world to break up each visit. It's incredibly smart – while the hub area isn't necessary, it adds flavor and has purpose. All of the levels you'll explore are varied in both setting and visuals. One second you're in an opera house that eventually burns down, the next you're in a swamp, and then you're at a circus, all before heading to an insane asylum. I don't know that I've played anything with the tenacity of MOUSE; pushing to add all of these places makes for an out-of-the-ordinary experience.

Where MOUSE makes its biggest impression is the gameplay. It's kind of a mashup of three parts DOOM and one part Bioshock. The DOOM-esque gunplay and movement hit hard – they feel impactful and satisfying. In many of the smaller "killbox rooms", I would sprint around, bouncing and sliding off platforms and ledges. It's so fun to use the mechanics available to deal out destruction.

For the one part Bioshock, it's all in the arsenal. Although you don't have any powers, so to speak, the weapon wheel of MOUSE makes me think of my time in Rapture. I love using every weapon available, and with certain enemies, it made sense to pop a couple of shotgun shells into them, then swap over to the Devarnisher to finish them off as I hopped over their heads.

Most of the arsenal is straightforward – neither the Micer pistol nor the tommy gun, named the "James Gun", will surprise you. To mix things up, Fumi Games added alternate fires to make things interesting. Dumping two shotgun shells into a single blast is cool, using your Micer with a three-burst shot gives you the opportunity to take certain grunts out in a single trigger pull. I'd go further in describing more of your armory, but I wouldn't want to ruin your time discovering them yourself. One thing is certain: MOUSE's combat is some of the most fun I've had in a single-player shooter.

Not everything is just shooting up evil mice, either. Every level has you searching for clues for Jack's investigation, and you'll use earned mechanics along the way to complete your objectives. A lot of these are pulled from other games, so you'll be familiar with how they work. Fumi Games' inclusion of them is admirable; they all fit beautifully. You'll be discovering new ones even in the final levels, which keep you invested as MOUSE continues forward. Between wall running, using your tail as a propeller to hover or as a grappling hook to swing on hooks, or others, there are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B.

MOUSE's narrative is the only area that's weaker than the overall package. You play as Jack Pepper, a private investigator, looking for a missing magician and former friend. As Jack progresses through his clues, you'll find that this is only the tip of the iceberg. It all branches into several cases, which get wilder and wilder as you go further into the fever dream that is MOUSE. There's a lot going on here, and none of my sixteen hours felt empty.

Where the story is a bit laborious is in how vague things begin. Admittedly, as a detective-based tale, it makes sense that you won't understand what's going on right away. However, the dialogue is written with a lot of mouse and cheese puns (which are hilarious). As I already didn't know the direction of the narrative, adding these on top confused me more often than not. By the end of MOUSE, I understood what was going on and the stakes, so it didn't hurt the conclusion. I just wish I had a better grasp on what was happening at the start of this great game.

To be clear, the shortcomings I mentioned are not in the delivery whatsoever. Jack Pepper is an amazing character played to perfection by Troy Baker. He was worth every penny; Jack's hard-nosed northern detective voice is magnificent and is the best foreground for the outstanding backdrop of the noir levels. The rest of the cast also do their parts wonderfully, and given there is a lot of dialogue, their efforts are appreciated.

I am impressed to no end by the lore Fumi Games has created for MOUSE. There are so many different factions involved, with cultists, a political threat known as the Big Mouse Party, and more. Some dev teams build a world and don't bother to fill it – not this one. I love the intricate backstories behind the factions of this game, they add a lot of depth to a genre where that is often missing.

Fumi Games follow this up by leaning into their comedic stylings. I often chuckled at cultural references (there's a teeny Obi-Wan "you were my brother" joke during a boss fight), and there's a faux-DOOM level that is ridiculous in the best way. Occasionally, you'll hear as the fourth wall gets broken, and it's awesome to see a game succeed as much as MOUSE does in knowing what it is and committing to that.

Something I didn't expect: so much going on outside of the main narrative. Because of the aforementioned hub, which takes place in a small section of Mouseburg around Jack's office, there is opportunity to speak to several side characters. These characters will occasionally ask you to do things for them in the next location you're heading to, usually involving finding something for them. It's a nice touch, and is another way the devs have broken up the monotony properly. If you want more to do, there's even a baseball card TCG in the lobby of the bar in town, which isn't anything too complicated but is an enjoyable distraction between missions. You'll even earn something special for winning enough matches.

As much as the story revolved around mystery, I was disappointed by the lack of investigation. Given the gameplay is more simplistic, with the combat and movement as the real stars of the show, it seems the team decided to let detective work take a backseat. You'll find clues out in the open during your missions and then stick them onto a board until enough adds up to supply the next lead. I'd have loved to engage with an actual system requiring a bit of sleuthing, but that's probably more a nitpick with Fumi Games' genre choice.

Another ingredient in this recipe is the soundtrack, and it matches the gameplay and setting to a tee. The jazzy nature of it is introduced as soon as you start the application, with Troy Baker humming the main theme as the logos pass by. Sometimes it's quiet, with just a few xylophone pings to hammer home the detective themes, but in others the whole band starts a build-up before blaring loudly to emphasize your current predicament. Not only that, each track is flawlessly chosen and on-brand for your level's surroundings. One of my favorite tracks is just percussion; as some bosses dive into exposition, a bass drum and hi-hat make a beat in the background. The twenties were roaring back in the 90s, and thanks to MOUSE, it's happening again a decade later.