Mouse P.I. For Hire Review Analyzing the 1930s Rubber Hose Visuals Gameplay Mechanics and Story Flaws
Imagine taking the fast paced, arena fights typical of modern boomer shooters and mixing them with the stretchy, hand drawn animation style you'd see in 1930s cartoons. That's what you get with Mouse P.I. For Hire. What started years ago as a small, viral demo has now grown into a complete, pretty substantial 15 hour game. It really well combines classic first person shooter gameplay with a gritty, detective story.
The first thing that grabs you about the game is its incredible art style. Everything is done up in a beautiful, black and white cartoon look. While the environments are actually 3D models, the enemies, weapons, and characters are all 2D, hand drawn sprites that bounce and stretch just like old Steamboat Willie cartoons. The developers even included cool visual and sound filters, so you can make it look and sound how you like, from super clear modern graphics to a fuzzy, crackly 1920s movie.
The attention to detail here is impressive. When you reload the shotgun, the main character funnily shoves a bunch of shells in, and you can hear the extras hit the floor. The game's menus and displays are full of character your bullet count is a live bullet that grins as you shoot, and your health icon actually looks bruised when you get hit. With a fantastic, original big band jazz soundtrack, the whole vibe is just perfect.
You play as Jack Pepper, a war veteran who's now a private investigator. Troy Baker, a well known voice actor, does an excellent job, giving Jack just the right mix of tough cynicism and sarcastic humor. Jack gets caught up in a huge conspiracy. What begins as a search for a missing magician (who happens to be an old war buddy) quickly turns into a complex situation with corrupt police, kidnapped shrews, movie stars, and cult members.
Despite the silly animal characters, the world building is surprisingly detailed and sometimes pretty dark. You'll find out more about the world by collecting newspapers and see dark stories told through the environment, which really stands out against the cute artwork. The writing is really clever, balancing serious detective monologues with hilarious pop culture jokes everything from old mafia films to little known internet memes.
Essentially, Mouse P.I. For Hire is a fast moving shooter, much like modern giants such as Doom. Forget aiming carefully or hiding behind things. To survive, you need to keep moving. As the game goes on, Jack gets a bunch of movement powers: a double jump, an air dash, a tail spin glide, a grappling hook, and he can even run on walls.
The weapons are just as wild and creative. While you start with a standard pistol and shotgun, you soon after that get a Tommy gun and the Varnisher, an acid like weapon that melts the ink off enemies, turning them into scared, rattling skeletons. You'll even find a cannonball launcher, a freeze ray, and a jarred brain that makes enemy heads explode. When you upgrade weapons at your mechanic's shop, you get different ways to shoot them like a burst fire pistol or a powerful shotgun blast and you'll actually see the weapon change how it looks in your hands.
The combat areas are full of things in the environment you can use. You can blow up explosive barrels, shoot the ropes holding up huge, funny looking anvils to drop on enemies, or drink a can of spinach to go into a frantic melee mode.
Between firefights, the game slows down, and you get to do some detective work. You drive around a cute, top down map in your car, moving between places like wetlands, movie sets, subways, and your main office. Here, you talk to other characters, take on side quests, and pin clues on a corkboard to find new things to investigate.
You'll also get to play some smart mini games. To pick locks, you have to carefully guide your mouse tail through tiny mechanical parts. There is also a pretty fun tabletop baseball card game. If you collect hidden cards in the levels, you can play a game where you compare stats, and if you win enough, you get a secret super weapon.
While the game truly stands out in its style, it does have a few design issues. The most noticeable missing feature is the absence of a level select or mission replay option. After you finish the game, it sends you back to the main menu. If you missed any secrets, your only option is to load an old manual save file made at a typewriter, which makes it less appealing to try and complete everything after the main story.
Combat, despite being incredibly fun, can feel a bit repetitive at times. The enemy movement types rarely change, for instance, a cultist with a shotgun acts just like a mobster carrying the same weapon. Furthermore, the detective corkboard feels like a missed opportunity. Pinning clues happens automatically, which prevents players from actually figuring out answers themselves a feature that would have nicely complemented the noir theme.
Finally, a few small bugs do hold the experience back. Some enemies can glitch, becoming invincible while holding explosives, which means you have to quickly reload a checkpoint. Also, putting throwable weapons (like dynamite) inside the weapon wheel instead of giving them a dedicated quick throw button breaks the smooth flow of combat.
Pros
- Excellent, authentic 1930s rubber hose animation and visual styling.
- A fantastic jazz soundtrack and superb voice acting by Troy Baker.
- Fast, fluid, and satisfying movement and combat mechanics, typical of a boomer shooter.
- Creative weapons with amusing, slapstick gore effects.
- A campaign that's quite long (over 15 hours), packed with secrets, background story, and mini games really good for indie game.
Cons
- No mission replay or chapter selection after finishing the game if you want to back to any chapter you need to start the game from zero.
- Limited variety in enemy AI types, which are essentially just visual reskins.
- Minor technical bugs (such as invincible enemies and lockpicking glitches).
- Boss encounters that can feel drawn out and overly resilient.
Mouse P.I. For Hire stands as a clear example of what happens when a dedicated studio fully commits to a unique vision. It takes the intensely violent, fast paced structure of an arena shooter and infuses it with the spirit, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship of the Golden Age of Animation. While it stumbles slightly with some repetitive fight designs and missing quality of life features, the undeniable charm of Mouseberg and the satisfying impact of its gunplay make this an essential experience. Considering its modest price, it offers exceptional value.
Pc Version Tested.
Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from Devs
