Mouse

We sit down and review Mouse: P.I. For Hire. A new rubber-hose animated title that offers a noir investigation. Here is our review of Mouse.

We are finally on the case out there, with the launch of Mouse: P.I. For Hire for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC. A title that started as a basic little proof of concept so very long ago, and now Fumi Games has it on the market so we can see if that concept truly pans out. That is the concept of a detective noir-setting game, where all the animation follows the rubber-hose style of the 1920s and 1930s. Mouse: P.I. For Hire is not the first to give that a try, but it does feel as if it is the first one to take us into the era with the story and setting. That all said, how does it all hold up? That is why we are back here with another review for you all to take in, along with a lot of gameplay to see if it will vibe with you. Let us drop into the investigation of it all right now.

Story

Something is not right in the city of Mouseburg. The populace just wants to live out their days, make some cheese, and maybe take in a few good shows along the way. They do not always seem to have that luxury, as the power players behind the scenes and criminals are always up to something, and now Jack Pepper has been pulled back in to solve so many more cases. In fact, we pick up with Jack right at the height of one such case, only to fall into a weird mouse hole of other plots, crimes, and murders. Will our Mouse P.I. be able to put all of the clues together and solve the cases? Let us all find out.

Hated

As we have constantly seen from the start for Mouse: P.I. For Hire, this is generally a stylized first-person shooter title at its core. That is not the gripe here. The issues seem to come in when it comes to some of the basic controls that have been perfected in that genre of game for quite some time. Not just with the features added in for this title specifically, but also when it comes to the basics of crouching and the like. Even the use of a dashing system, which seems to be in here just to be in here, none of it feels like it flows, or it breaks up what we all know works. Like needing to hold down the crouch button to do that, and adding in a stamina meter that has no real bearing on the game, as it never felt like I needed to use anything more than once before it could fully recharge. Not the biggest of issues, from the sounds of it, but then add in the fact that some of them would just happen during the game while I was aiming to perform something else or in a firefight. It does not help a boss battle out when my Mouse dashes into the fire because of the controller mapping, when I am just trying to strafe about. More so when it is not very helpful to the rest of the game, when it does work as planned.

Extending from the basic controls for Mouse: P.I. For Hire and how they caused a bit of pain, we need to move into the actual shooting and combat in the game. While not the worst I have experienced in the FPS genre ever, this also feels like it was a little shaky for me. This could be due to the way that the NPCs move or that the hitboxes were a little off, but there were more than a number of times I would hit something directly, and no damage would be taken. Sometimes, even watching the bullets go right through some of the enemies on screen. This never felt like it was something to fault on my side, but with the core of the game. There were even times I would shoot enemies with the shotgun at point-blank range, and not even a little health would drop. Sometimes, you could even see the animations playing for some of the special ammo and weapons, but nothing would change for the target. It was a weird thing, and maybe it was a feature in Mouse: P.I. For Hire, but to me it felt more like a bug that needs to be patched out. As of this writing, I have yet to see any of that, but it could be something that is coming down the line if enough players encounter it as I have.

My last major gripe I will lay down for Mouse: P.I. For Hire has to be with the overall story and how it is presented out there. I know that they were going for a detective noir thing, with a bit of humor added in. None of that seemed to land with me, and the humor always seemed to fall flat. It does not feel like it was the writing, and if I had to place any blame, it could be with the performances of it. That is very subjective, so take all of that as you will. I just always found myself going along with the game just to see the levels and explore the world that was built, with very little engagement with the story. I would follow along to know the next location I would need to drive to, and kind of understand why I am shooting the various NPCs in the game, but nothing pulled me in to care outside of getting to the next agenda item. It was a weird feeling, and while I did not vibe with it, I will say it was never grating enough to make me want to stop playing. I am just recommending that you watch some of the past videos or a little bit of story gameplay to see if it will hit for you, as it does not feel like it will be a thing for everyone.

Loved

There was a lot of hate I just dropped for Mouse: P.I. For Hire, but that does not mean it is not a fun game in general. Specifically, I will need to sing a few praises on the character and level designs that were out there. Even when some of them feel like hallways or specific paths we need to follow, there always seems to be some extra level of charm dropped into the mix that will keep you always moving and wanting to see more. Sometimes this is from some silly little animated thing placed into the background. Sometimes, it is because it always feels like there are fun and hidden paths that can be discovered by just placing your feet in the shoes of the detective. This was one of the bigger elements that drew me in to keep playing Mouse: P.I. For Hire when things started to fall flat. I felt like I needed to find all of the clues, secrets, and other elements the design team placed in the world. Even if many of them did nothing but fill up collectible areas, tick a few minor boxes, or had my gamer brain feeling accomplished for taking the time to investigate everything. Even when some of these things led to dead ends, there was still the reward of finding the new paths, and it feels so weird claiming that was always a rewarding feature of the game.

Even though I did gripe about the story and reason we were supposed to be going through everything in Mouse: P.I. For Hire, I will have to say that all of the enemies and bosses were interesting and engaging. Even when it was frustrating that none of my attacks or weapons were doing anything to them, they felt like they were something new and not just a clone of a past encounter with the art style slapped on. I will admit, some of them I had no clue why I was shooting at them, but gods was it still a fun and engaging experience to go through. I still have memories of the robot mouse boss fight that was technically set in three waves, but broken up so well that each wave felt like a wholly new boss fight. Even when some of the cheaper attacks, or swarms of basic enemies came out, Mouse: P.I. For Hire somehow made it fun to go through the motions and try out new things along the way. That was generally how I learned the time of some of the various weapons and environmental attacks, as I would just test them out on the basic enemies, since they all felt like they interacted differently, even though it was the same. Again, something not expected, and it was able to pull me back in when I was lost in the sauce of everything else.

Lastly, and I know this is one that comes from everyone out there who has played Mouse: P.I. For Hire, but the animation style and music of the game were top-notch. I am not a fan of nostalgia or anything that aims to use that as a selling point, but this one got me to fall in love with all of the classic things we have experienced for over a century now. Yes, this was a fresh take on all of it, but at the core, the rubber-hose and music were all pulled from what our great-great-grandparents loved. Not something that will pull me in, but by the gods did Mouse: P.I. For Hire do that. I will argue that the world and design of it did a better job than many of the other titles that have tried it in the past. Even the video games that did it well still felt a little flat compared to this one. So, massive kudos to the team for pulling that off, as I know that is not an easy feat to accomplish out there. Which is possibly why some of the above issues were so glaring to me when they might have fallen into obscurity had I not been impressed with the animation and music as much as I was.

Overview

Those looking for a nostalgic-looking FPS title are going to love Mouse: P.I. For Hire. There is no doubt in my mind about that. If you are looking for a truly engaging story and reason behind all of the things you are shooting, you will most likely be left wanting. That is not to say that Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a bad game, but you might have the same issues I had and then feel as if you are wasting time and money with it all. Maybe, if some of the core mechanics I had issues with were patched out a bit, there would be a lot more love. That all said, watch the following gameplay we have for the game, and you will quickly see if this one will be for you. I know there will be more who love it than hate it, which is what I am going for here.

I give Mouse: P.I. For Hire 8 Blocks Of Cheese on the Blocks Of Cheese scale.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire was developed by Fumi Games and published by PlaySide for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC on April 16^th, 2026. A PlayStation copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.