As a lot of regular readers might already know, I am a simple man. I like a good remaster, classic cartoons and the love of a fine parody and/or homage piece. So when Mouse: P.I. For Hire was announced, I knew it’d tick two of those boxes.
A first person shooter evoking both the “boomer shooters” of old and the rubber hose cartoon style of Max Fleischer-era animation, Mouse: P.I. is a simple proposition on paper. In practical terms, it’s a caper covering all kinds of trope, homage and parody from the neo-noir era of 1940’s storytelling.
Is it a Gouda time, or does it make our enthusiasm go Limburger? If you’re not a fan of cheese puns, look away now. Otherwise, let’s put on our best detective hats and find out.
The Mal-Cheese Falcon
Our story begins in medias res, with our hard-boiled mouse detective chasing an unknown assailant across an airship. Jack Pepper, our hero (voiced by Troy Baker, surprisingly), is soon dropped from a vast height… and our story begins proper.
Pepper is a private eye and former veteran, with the cynicism of Eddie Valiant. He’s grizzled, he’s grumpy, he’s… well, just about every noir stereotype going, really. We start off investigating a missing magician, which soon becomes a vast conspiracy and all that comes with this kind of story.
But as one may suspect, it’s all done through the medium of anthropomorphic mice. Everything is a cheese pun, or a cheese-themed dialogue choice, or thereabouts. Honestly, I kinda like it. In all the po-faced seriousness that comes with detective dramas, it’s a nice change. Like if the Animaniacs burst into a scene, it’d be quite fitting.
The New Fleisch(er)
The immediately striking aspect of Mouse: P.I. is the visual style. Even if you weren’t old enough for this generation of cartoon, chances are you’ve seen clips or nods to this style before. Or, if you want a more modern comparison: Cuphead.
Yet where Cuphead was purely 2D, Mouse: P.I. instead goes 3D. Well, that 3D popularised by 3D Realms to be specific. All 3D environments but two dimensional, flat characters that follow the camera. So it looks like we’re shooting at promotional standees come to life.
Alongside the retro cartoon inspired graphics, the music is very on-brand too. Big band jazz for the gunfights, slow brass for the in-between moments.
It’s honestly a treat for the senses, playing a shooter with a black and white overlay. The aesthetic is done due diligence, from the classic cars to the period outfits, all under that cartoon premise.
A Wise Guy, Eh?
But what would a “boomer shooter” be with its actual gameplay? Looking the part is one thing, but does Mouse: P.I. talk the talk? Thankfully, yes, largely in part to the ease of gameplay and the variety of weapons available.
The former made me think, weirdly, of BioShock. It’s very rapid, run-and-gun with a dash and jump mechanic. Players have a life number, represented by a cute little bouncing heart. A heart which, much like Doom Guy’s progressively worsening face, takes a battering when it’s low. There’s armour pickups, as well as a stamina bar for the aforementioned dash, as well as kicks and punches.
Guns come in all flavours, ranging from Mauser-style pistols (called the Micer, obviously), whilst the shotgun is a Boomstick. The machine gun is your James Gun, which I can only assume is a pun on the writer/director’s name. There’s an acid-spitter called the Devarnisher, which fits the hand-drawn theme. It’d certainly please Judge Doom and his Dip. Oh, and dynamite is D-namite. Ironically, that doesn’t pack as much punch as its namesake.
It’s all pretty fun stuff, to be fair. Level design allows multi-platform movement, which is needed on higher difficulties. To surmise, it’s a nice blend of DOOM 2016 and in my opinion, BioShock. Just minus any cheese-related special powers.
Caught In A Mouse-Race
Outside of its core gameplay, Mouse: P.I. doesn’t have a great deal of “extras”, per se. Players will talk to NPC’s both during missions and the gaps in between, which can then be compiled on an evidence board. This board, in Pepper’s office, serves as the hub for where to head to next.
There’s a plethora of secrets and collectibles to find, from money stashes to comic books. It’s all very par for the course, expecting players to look left when the mission says go right. The aforementioned verticality in the shooting also doubles up for the looting, if you will.
There’s also a card-collecting-cum-baseball-card-game in there too, which doesn’t feel tacked on. It took a few attempts to get the swing of it, no pun intended, but it’s fun nonetheless.
The open world, to put it generously, it’s pretty fun to travel around to start with. But it soon becomes apparent that it’s just a fancy, elaborate menu screen. The locations of next objective, Jack’s office and various stores all become routine after a while. Which may be analogous to actual detective work, granted. But it doesn’t gel with the fast-paced shooting sections, this constant start/stop mechanic. Maybe that’s me overthinking it.
Lack Of Jokes Intolerance
In all honesty, there isn’t really much else to go into about Mouse: P.I. For Hire. Whether that sounds perfect or feels like something is lacking is down to personal preference, I suppose.
I very enjoyed my time with it, as a boomer shooter in a cartoon style that I appreciate. I didn’t come into it expecting a rodent version of L.A. Noire, so I’m not disappointed. There does seem to be some amount of disconnect with what makes a detective and a mass murderer, given that Pepper mows everyone down indiscriminately. I don’t remember Jack Nicholson doing this in Chinatown.
The only other contentious point would be the puns. Now, I tend not read reviews/opinions of games I’m reviewing for fear of any bias creeping in, or swaying my opinion. Yet it’s been hard to completely avoid all of the discourse about the deluge of dairy digs and derivatives throughout.
Yes, it does tend to grate after a fashion. Sometimes Jack breaking the fourth wall and calling out clichés and then still doing said clichéd tropes does get old quickly. It’s not funny after a few times, much like it got old in No More Heroes and Eat Lead: The Return Of Matt Hazard (there’s an obscure one).
But again, it is entirely down to personal preference. I rolled with it, because I was enjoying the cartoon mousey shoot all the other cartoon mice and make cartoon blood splatter everywhere.
Play It Again, Jack
At the end of the day, I come away from Mouse: P.I. For Hire with a recommendation. But it’s a recommendation with a caveat. It’s very much a case of “If you like X, you’ll like Y” with this one. Overall, I applaud this style of game. I love Cuphead, and also want to see more creative risks like this.
In its defense, that it evokes so many memories of both old cartoons and games is what does it for me, ultimately. I appreciate a good pun (as you lot know), I appreciate a good homage and the occasional nod to something that paved the way. I’m one of those saddos that watches a movie and then immediately goes to IMDb for the trivia. Sue me.
Yes, I can see where the charm may where off for some. The constant cheese-based puns may wear thin after a while. The body count versus “Wait, aren’t I the good guy?” dissonance may creep in more often than it should. But, then I remember I’m playing as an anthropomorphic mouse.
It is a very one-note game, which doesn’t put it anywhere near a GOTY contender for me. But if you like your old ‘toons, a bit of neo noir detective angle thriller and black & white violence, there’s a good time to be had here. And in these trying times, that’s all we can really ask for.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is available now on PlayStation 5 (review platform), Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.
Developer: Fumi Games
Publisher: PlaySide