QCF: Mouse P.I. for Hire

Relax, everyone, I solved the case! Troy Baker is the voice actor playing the role of the hardened, fondue-sipping war hero-turned-private-investigator protagonist of this game. I knew I had heard that voice somewhere, so it was a big surprise when I checked my search engine, er, I mean the board of clues, and came to that deduction. Spending hours of time in the world of Mouseburg in Mouse P.I. for Hire as an anthropomorphic mouse detective will make any player feel like they’ve jumped into a noir crime drama.  In the influence of games like Cuphead and the playstyle of Bioshock with big animated set pieces and exploration of a world out of a time capsule, this title has something for every player.

Fumi Games, a newer Polish developer, brings us the tale of a 1930s-era reluctant hero, Jack Pepper, and his fight to bring down crooked cops, corrupt political parties, and shrew traffickers while piecing together clues to an unsolved murder and the disappearance of an old friend. The dev makes a great first impression even before the game begins by allowing the player to utilize various filters to create an authentic old-time film experience. Studio Cut, Directors Cut, and Vintage Cut for the visual element, and Base, Vinyl, Cellulose Disc, and Cylinder Black Celluloid for audio. Playing around with and incorporating this feature is a nice touch and leads to an immersion that few games can pull off.  The art style of 2-D characters bouncing to life out of an animation cel is gorgeous in motion and leads to some great action as well as a few moments of the fourth wall breaking. Some surprises will occur in the late game that had my jaw hitting the ground, even when I would swear that the story was coming to an end, there were some curveballs and unexpected cheese crumbs leading to a story with more twists and turns than a melted stick of mozzarella.

Having only your wits as well as your fists in a battle like this may seem like a disadvantage, but luckily for Pepper, various guns with comical properties and effects are at your disposal during combat, some wilder than others. The pistol and shotgun of the early game will be complemented by a talking ray gun, demonic chainsaw, and ice cannon, and so much more. Upgrades are earned by finding blueprints throughout the world and can provide increased damage, range, and alternate fire. Ammo can run out, and strategy must be used to optimize weapons and conserve your health. Bringing the right weapon to a fight can make the encounter a quick exchange or lead to a massive pile of enemies and crossfire. I found myself several times getting pinned to a corner with a dozen enemies raining down on me, and having little hope to dash or escape their beat down. The boss battles can be especially brutal at times, and induced some rage and grief on my part as I continuously tried to clear the levels. The cartoonish nature of the story and characters creates a false sense of comfort when confronted with the craziness and brutal gameplay.

Traversal is another aspect of the game that I mostly loved, but sometimes would hit a wall when rushing through a tough moment in the action. Utilizing a dash to create distance between enemies was a skill that was necessary early and often. Jumping to zip around the level and avoid the charge of a huge behemoth of a mouse also played a part in the earlier brawls. Later, double jumping, swinging with a grappling hook of a tail, an Inspector Gadget-style hat-copter, and wall runs would make an appearance. Mastering all these tools of transport led to some intense and enjoyable moments, even if sometimes missing a crucial jump or whiffing on a much-needed hook would land me on the load last save screen more times than I’d like to admit. Honestly, there was way more platforming in this first-person shooter than I was expecting, and the developer took some real big swings when it came to the blending of these genres. The game becomes fluid and fun as it is mastered, but sometimes being forced to repeat certain objectives because the play did not see a hazard on screen or a stray projectile can take some fun out of the experience. This game is spicy at times, and there is no shame in bumping down the difficulty on some harder moments to save your sanity, as I did.

Comics, newspapers, and baseball cards can all be found, as well as safes to crack and other hidden collectibles. The player will likely explore every corner, check behind every barrel, and crawl into every vent to find all the items. I spent plenty of time backtracking and obsessing over each out-of-place item in the world, hoping the last blueprint for my upgraded rifle was tucked underneath. I give credit to some of the puzzles in this game; they could be frustrating, but also very rewarding. The only downside to the finding of clues and necessary intel in the game was that the actual solving of the crimes and piecing together of the parts was all handled by the game’s progression and not of any skill from the player. I think that leaning on the detective part of this game was just for the story beats and is not represented in the final product. It’s a miss that doesn’t take away too much from the enjoyment, but it would’ve been cool if it were properly implemented. Some mechanics and skills in the game were also discovered very late when I was playing. Such as being able to lift up the barrels in the game that would either freeze the waves of enemies with ice or the fire ones that ignited upon impact. You could throw them as well and set up for some chaos that would clear the field and create some distance between the P.I. and the horde of bad guys. Maybe I was rushing through and missed this crucial bit of information, but I just wish that it was conveyed a bit better.

Mouse P.I. for Hire has so much more going on underneath the aesthetic, and after a twenty-hour playthrough, it’s tough not to want to return to see what surprises were missed. One weapon was still locked after completion, as well as many side quests and collectibles left to discover. The firefights and the crazy action moments stick with you long after the credits roll on this cinematic wonder. I played mostly on my desktop and messed around with it on the Steam Deck briefly, and the experience was solid all the way through. The soundtrack was appropriate for the mood, and the voice acting was well delivered. I think that many players should give this one a shot if they are up for a bit of challenge but plenty of humor and charm in their boomer shooter. Here’s to hoping we hear more from our monochrome game sprite of a sleuth in the future.