Review: Mouse: P.I. For Hire

The 1920s are making a big comeback in video games. With the success of Cuphead, it's no surprise that other games with the aesthetic of spaghetti arms, characters constantly swinging, and jazz music providing the rhythm for fights, escapes, and chases would start to emerge. And let's admit it: it's easy to like a game like this. It's fast, simple, and its visually striking aesthetic, reminiscent of the classic animated film Steamboat Willie with mice running everywhere, makes Mouse: P.I. for Hire stand out among FPS games.

The stunning 1920s animation, the roughly eleven-hour story, with its tough (voiced by Joel from The Last of Us) and unsentimental protagonist, its twists and turns through intricate layers of corruption and conspiracy emerge directly from the roots of film noir and literature – most often associated with the 1940s.

The hyperactive, run-and-gun gameplay weaves and explodes as frenetically as any 1990s boomer shooter like DOOM, and yet, a number of quality-of-life features seem to originate from the 2000s and beyond. Now, does all this make this game worth buying? That's what we're going to discuss here, and if you have any questions, leave a comment.

The narrative follows protagonist Jack Pepper, an investigator who’s a cliché of every old-school detective rolled into one. Incidentally, this isn't a bad thing at all. It perfectly fits the game's atmosphere. You start by investigating the disappearance of a magician and former friend, with things branching out into more cases later on.

Mouse: P.I. for Hire isn't going to win any awards for its narrative, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It does a good job of delivering the gameplay and keeping things moving, and is often the perfect vehicle for various cheese-related puns. Would I like to see a deeper investigation mechanic? Sure. But that's not what the game offers.

Upon going in, everyone could tell how visually appealing the game was. The question was: could the gameplay live up to that? I'm pleased to report that the answer is a resounding yes. The movement is fast and crisp, with a panel-to-pan feature that really helps maintain the pace during firefights. This is complemented by additional moves you learn, such as double jumps and tail spins, which really add variety and verticality not only to the platforming but also to the combat. At times it feels like you're playing a cartoon version of DOOM, albeit with a little less depth.

Before any mechanics even come into play, Mouse: P.I. for Hire already shows its strength. It's not the gameplay, nor the story, but the setting where everything happens. Mouseburg doesn't just seem like a staged environment for the player to traverse; it has a charm in its small details, with its own problems, its own rules, and something to see around every corner.

It's a little mouse turning a crank to make something electrical work, a little mouse inside a wheel, a bottle with 'XXX' to indicate that it's an alcoholic beverage. Everything is very faithful to what old animations were like, such as Betty Boop cartoons.

The game builds this environment consistently. The aesthetic inspired by old animations isn't just there to grab attention; it influences everything, from the character design to how the effects appear on screen, the written sound effects, and the characters performing actions, from running to dying.

There's no break in identity. You enter that world and it remains coherent from beginning to end. This consistency is what sustains the first few hours. Even without major events, there’s a natural interest in exploring, observing, and understanding how that place works.

There's no secret here. It's an FPS. If you've played one, you've played them all. Shoot everything that moves, and the formula works well: it's straightforward, responsive, and maintains a constant pace. The movement is agile, the weapons are varied, and there's a flow that encourages the player to always keep moving. There's a small problem when you end up not identifying elements on the screen due to the black and white color palette.

Sometimes, enemies blend into the scenery, and that classic "explosive barrel" from all games, marked in red, can go unnoticed if you're caught up in the frenzy of shooting. But, apart from that, the combat flows well, and you'll enjoy the feeling of it. At the beginning, everything’s fine. But that's only at the beginning.

In the first few hours, this is enough to keep everything interesting. You're still discovering the possibilities, testing weapons (and the rat's arsenal is quite varied) and understanding how the enemies behave. But this discovery phase passes quickly.

After a few hours, the game has practically shown everything it has to offer in this aspect. The basics continue to work, but the lack of evolution starts to become evident. The encounters start to have a very similar structure, and the player doesn't need to adapt as much as they could. This doesn't make the combat bad, but it does cause it to lose impact over time.

The game isn't limited in the number of ideas it offers. On the contrary, it introduces new tools, abilities, and variations throughout the campaign. The problem is that not everything is used to its full potential.

Some of these mechanics appear, function for a short period, and then cease to be relevant. There’s no continuous development of these ideas. They’re neither explored in depth nor fully integrated into the rest of the experience.

This creates the feeling that the game has more possibilities than it actually utilizes. There’s no lack of content, but there’s a lack of consistency in the use of that content. For example, there’s a clear attempt to bring in investigative elements to reinforce the detective aspect. You collect clues, talk to characters, and follow information that helps advance the story.

In practice, however, this part is more limited than it appears. The game guides the process almost all the time, leaving little room for the player to actually piece things together on their own. The conclusions depend less on reasoning and more on progression. This doesn't directly hinder the game, but it also doesn't add the depth it could. The investigation functions more as a narrative complement than as a strong mechanic.

The game starts with a well-balanced pace. There are new features, variety, and a sense of constant progress. Over time, this changes. The repetitive combat, coupled with the lack of evolution in the mechanics, begins to weigh it down. The game continues to offer content, but this content doesn't bring enough changes to renew the experience.

Since it's not short, this wear and tear becomes more evident. The player begins to recognize patterns and anticipate situations, which diminishes the impact of actions. It's not a sharp drop in quality, but a gradual loss of interest.

Even with these problems, the game doesn't fall apart. The setting remains a strong point throughout. The sound, art direction, and voice acting keep the world interesting, even when the gameplay starts to repeat itself.

The story also fulfills its role within the overall concept. It's not the main attraction, but it helps maintain the context and continue the experience. The result is a game that relies more on its visuals than on the overall quality of the work.

Pros

• An engaging story that blends lightheartedness with the familiar trappings of film noir.

• The combat is fast-paced and fluid, resulting in some cinematic shootouts.

• A variety of weapons stand out in the slapstick violence.

• The hand-drawn art style is a constant delight, with reverence for classic cartoons.

Cons

• The investigation process happens without you doing anything.

• Some skills are underutilized.

Yes, especially for those interested in the concept. The game delivers a strong and consistent identity, something that already sets it apart from many others. On the other hand, it's important to know that it doesn't evolve much over time. Its best features appear early on, and the rest of the experience revolves around that.

If the setting and style are enough to maintain interest, it works well. Otherwise, the repetition can become tiresome before the end. In the end, it's a game that succeeds greatly in building its world, but doesn't maintain that same level when it comes to variety and progression.