Jack Pepper is on the case to sniff out the crooks and unveil a conspiracy that has overtaken Mouseburg, infecting the cartoon world of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. There’s corruption around every corner, and all Jack can do is follow the cheese and hope there isn’t a trap at the end of the blood-soaked trail.
Gather clues, power up your arsenal, increase your movement, interrogate suspects, and knock out the competition—all in wicked cartoonish fashion. For $29.99 and approximately 10 hours of runtime (excluding 100%-ing collectibles, secrets, and achievements), MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a detective sim that may not require a whole lot of brain power, but it sure needs fast reactions if you want to survive the onslaught of rat attacks.
A shooter I hope inspires others
Getting old and stale isn’t on the cards with MOUSE as this high-octane shooter switches up constantly, and not in visuals alone. Unlike most games, For Hire’s pacing never follows the same formula. In fact, it purposely does the opposite so that you never know what to expect. Calling out other games for their nonsensical questlines, like asking you to mow down waves of enemies before one randomly drops the item you need to move on, MOUSE keeps things interesting and unpredictable with its boss fights. While you’ll quickly expect enemies to fly out of doors with a mouse motif above them, the bosses feature innovative designs.
This shooter may be true to its name, but no fight ever lasts too long. No single boss fight is the same, either, and each is so absurdly entertaining that you will never be bored. From a mini-gun-wielding gator and dead wives mistaking Jack for their ghastly husband, to a boat shooting at you like you’ve made it to the end of Takeshi’s Castle, topped by a quick game of Snap, the unpredictability of MOUSE is what makes it unbelievably fun from start to finish.
Enemy variety is fantastic, and difficulty scales with progress as you unlock more weapons and (hopefully) upgrade them along the way. Each enemy type has a weakness to a particular weapon, allowing you to use everything in your arsenal instead of relying on one weapon per playthrough. The methodical introduction of mechanics is clever and slowly adds depth to what started as a somewhat limited movement shooter. By the end of the game, you will be grappling onto hooks, spinning your mouse tail to glide, and double-jumping to dodge bullets.
Animated perfection
Where MOUSE truly shines, however, is in its flawless detail. The exciting and ridiculously fun 12-weapon arsenal, the gameplay mechanics, and the smooth and easy controls create an addictive formula where losing hours at a time is a symptom of all the fun you’re having. While the highest difficulty poses little challenge, MOUSE takes a leaf out of DOOM, Quake, BioShock, and ULTRAKILL‘s book with its retro level design. A nostalgic touch of arcade-y elements, I was reminded of BioShock because of MOUSE‘s unique, lively power-ups that never overstay their welcome, Cuphead for its old school aesthetic, and TimeSplitters with the spray-and-pray gameplay as waves of crooked rats attack.
Every single thing in this game is animated. Each bullet type in your arsenal has its own distinct look, some packed with attitude like something out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This attention to detail gives MOUSE a Disney-esque feel without looking like a complete rip-off. Because every inch of Mouseburg has detail; from the animation of Jack’s journal opening, reloading a revolver to skip a cutscene, hitting the car horn as you drive to the next location, watching characters interact with clues you’ve found, seeing weapons actually upgrade and change in Jack’s hands, and many more instances; P.I. For Hire transports you into an inky realm you may never want to leave.
Much like Hermit and Pig, MOUSE was crafted with passion and care, and it’s an absolute must-play.
Everything is quick, quick, quick
A plethora of ammunition, medkits, and save stations helps build momentum and keep the pacing fast. Though it can abruptly stop by revisiting the board to add your newest clues and slow down drastically through dialogue that can trudge along at times, the excellent voice acting gives each character a unique identity and voice that brings life to even the most inconsequential mouse.
Side quests aren’t tedious to play through, for their place in this world makes sense. Though they’re not consistently tracked and every level feels like the point of no return (as locations are locked by police tape once complete), any collectibles missed appear at the Ammo Store, ensuring you never really miss anything. Collectible hunting is engaging and showcases how clever MOUSE‘s level design is.
It may appear simple on the surface, but the sheer amount of secrets inside each level greatly increases MOUSE‘s already strong replayability value. There are safes and doors to unlock in the simplest lockpicking mini-game ever created, and a card mini-game waiting for you that acts as another incentive to search for (or buy) Newspapers, Comic Strips, and Playing Cards. Upgrading is yet another simple but effective process, adding to the fun of collectible hunting because everything works in perfect harmony.
Clean. Effortless. Cool. Blue Cheese Cool.
Where F2P games may struggle to bring in newcomers is with their often overcluttered and confusing UI. MOUSE is clean, constantly reminding you of your current objectives without ever getting in the way or distracting you from the action unfolding on-screen. The compass and objective markers are accurate and helpful without obscuring the fun FPS gameplay loop. The clever detective duster (like an adorable version of Dead Space‘s tracker) that reveals footprints of where to go next is helpful and optional, making the game easier if you ever need a little guidance.
MOUSE doesn’t take itself particularly seriously, but that’s what’s so great about it. This title is effortlessly cool without trying to be. It opens to Jack Pepper humming the main theme, followed by the real deal of smooth jazz that may be your next earworm. Each level has style and a theme to match, giving it that all-important signature you see in the likes of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. You can’t go wrong with a soundtrack that, at times, sounds like something out of Cowboy Bebop.
Compatible with controller on PC, with smooth and easy-to-understand controls, consistent frames (until you switch to the Devarnisher), and fully customizable options that accommodate streamers; Fumi Games truly thought of everything when it came to crafting a wildly entertaining and satisfying FPS adventure. For retro shooter fans who are looking for fresh excitement and fun, you can’t get much better than this.
