Summary
MOUSE: P.I. for Hire excels in gameplay as a smooth first-person shooter. It's rare to see indie games feature such great gameplay, and this is an early contender for Indie Game of the Year.
Developer – Fumi Games
Publisher – PlaySide Studios
Platforms – PC (Reviewed), Switch 2, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5
Review copy given by publisher
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is here from Fumi Games, starring Jack Pepper, the private investigator for hire who is looking to solve multiple cases he gets hired to do. This game has been highly anticipated since its reveal because of its 1930s cartoon style, and of course, being a first-person shooter. We have been enjoying this game and are here to share our thoughts.
The game gets you started right away, learning the mechanics by dashing, shooting, crouching, and all of the above. There are also posters throughout the game explaining the other abilities you eventually get to learn as well. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire wastes no time getting you into its smooth gameplay.
The introduction of the game has you chase after a target, and on the way to your destination, you are met with enemies, and you’ll eventually face your first horde. After getting to your target, Jack Pepper falls off a bridge, and it cuts to an early cinematic.
The gameplay is everything you could have wished for in this 1930s rubber hose style game. It’s very smooth throughout when fighting enemies, not a single time when I felt frames dropping in a chaotic setting, and the flow of dashing, jumping, and strafing out of the enemies’ way couldn’t have felt any better.
Boss fights are also unique to each other and provide a good enough challenge where you won’t rage. Even the mini-boss fights are creative.
The baseball minigame is a great touch, allowing you to take a break from the at times monotonous gameplay in some levels.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire comes with great storytelling led by a fantastic cast of voice actors, with Troy Baker being the star of the show. The Soprano-like accents and the humor that comes with the dialogue are golden. You are constantly finding clues to solve multiple cases that seem to be all connected in some way.
It’s rare that an indie game has solid storytelling on top of great gameplay. There are also a variety of side-characters that give you leads to a case, or they just provide side-jobs. What I will say about the story is that it can be all over the place and hard for players to concentrate. However, the dialogue throughout the game makes it enjoyable.
The level design is good. However, with the game being black and white, it can feel repetitive in some areas. Being that there is no color, you are limited somewhat on what you could do to an environment. Fumi Games does a great job at making different environments, but sometimes the battles against enemies can be too repetitive.
I’ve gotten lost in levels by searching for collectibles because there are multiple items to collect in the game, which matches the style of this game so well.
Not only is the dialogue excellent, but the cutscenes, although there aren’t a ton of them, are superb at once again sharing more of the story of what Jack Pepper is looking into.
Audio design is as good as you could expect from when you get to the next scene or even when you die. It provides so much nostalgia to players who especially have a connection to this style.
Verdict
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is an enjoyable game that appeals to a wide audience. It’s rare to come across titles like this nowadays, and the gunplay is incredibly smooth. Some might even suggest that the game would benefit from a multiplayer mode.
