There’s always the same conversation when a visually striking game gets closer to release, and that starts with one single statement. “I hope it plays as good as it looks”. In fairness it is a valid concern, because not every gorgeous game ends up also magically finding the formula to create a banger in the gameplay department. There are plenty that do though, like the Ni No Kuni titles and of course Cuphead. The latter feels rather fitting today, as Mouse: P.I. For Hire is like the shooty noir cousin of those Cup fellas. Instead of tense boss fights and bullet hell though, this gritty tale is all about crime and Tommy guns.
With that lovely black and white palette and film grain filter, you can probably guess what sort of place Mouseburg is to live. With everyday schmucks just trying to get by, the constant corruption and crime makes it a tough place to call home. There are some good people under the gritty surface of the city though, like our hero Jack Pepper. This rodent private investigator just wants to discover the truth, and help out those in need of finding it. The setting and characters of Mouse: P.I. For Hire are just as charming as you’ve been hoping they’ll be, and really helps bring the rubber hose world to life.
There’s only so long you can chat to people though before the shooting starts though, because Mouse: P.I. For Hire is an old school single player FPS through and through. With a selection of both classic and cartoony firearms you’ll be charging through stages, blasting back various goons, and getting locked in different arenas where you’ll need to survive waves of cultists, corrupt cops, and other ne’er-do-wells. The gunplay here is seriously satisfying, with that retro fast pace I love from this genre.
A big part of why the shooting is so satisfying are the guns themselves, which feel great to use. Those core weapons like the pistol, hilariously named James gun, and my beloved shotgun are weighty and impactful just like you’d want them to be. The more cartoony offerings are equally as helpful and satisfying to cause some chaos with, like the deadly acid launcher and the classic sticks of dynamite. It’s a good job the guns are great too, because that little bit of ammo scarcity will force you to switch between weapons pretty regularly.
You need to master your arsenal in Mouse: P.I. quickly, because before you know it you’ll be thrown into a boss fight. These are often the highlight of the stages containing them, with fun attack patterns requiring you to dip, dive and dodge all over the place. Taking on robot starlets and sewer gators is just another day at the office for our Private Investigator, and I’m glad it is; for my enjoyment at least.
As good as the gunplay of Mouse: P.I. For Hire is, I think the locomotion is even better. The movement of Jack is lightning fast, and with the ability to dash (and chain multiple dashes together) you can dodge and weave around all sorts of foes. Your double jump will help you when platforming peril confronts you, and there are other movement abilities you’ll unlock as you progress through the game. Hovering with the tail spin for example will help you reach far off platforms, and the tail grapple is just as fun as it sounds to use. First person movement simply doesn’t get much better than this.
The stages of Mouse: P.I. are fun to explore thanks to these abilities, and feature secret passages, walls you can blow up, and collectibles lurking around every corner. There are also light puzzles you’ll have to solve by pulling levers and such, and locked doors and safes you can pick with your tail (triggering a little minigame). Mouse P.I. For Hire feels like more than your average indie boomer shooter because of this, and I really appreciated it.
Between missions you’ll always drive across to your office on the overworld, where you can hang up your clues (automatically, not in a Sherlock mind palace way) and chat with the locals. It’s a fun little hub area, which features a dame you can play a baseball card game with. You can also go to the mechanic’s shop to upgrade guns, boosting their power and even giving them a secondary fire. You’d better believe the moment I could give my shotgun a powerful charged shot I did.
I can’t ignore the visuals and audio of Mouse: PI For Hire, because they really are the star of the show. The early animation style of the game is absolutely gorgeous, and lends itself to an FPS far better than I expected. The noir take on the rubber hose animation works like an absolute treat too, and really makes you feel like you’re exploring a weird old cartoon that your grandad used to love. The soundtrack and voice acting brings this all together, with catchy jazz tunes and brass flourishes that accompany the action perfectly.
There’s a whole lot to love about Mouse: P.I. For Hire, but it has quite a few small issues that hold it back from being the best of the best. The enemy variety is a little lacking, and this means you’ll be fighting a lot of functionally similar mousey foes. I also wish the stages featured less invisible barriers, because it just makes the world feel so closed in. Open doors with nothing but darkness and invisible walls behind them litter stages, and streets often end with tiny barricades you can jump higher than but not over. The little side activities feel somewhat lacking as well. When I’m shown a card game I get so damn excited, and the baseball one in the hub world doesn’t really require any strategy other than buying cards with better numbers on.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a fun and fleshed out single player FPS game, in an era where those don’t come along every day. The visuals are obviously gorgeous and incredibly striking, but Mouse: P.I. is much more than just a pretty face. If fast paced shooting and jazzy tunes are missing in your life, then head down to Jack Pepper’s office and prepare for a quip or two to come your way.
