MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Reviews
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a stylish and competent boomer shooter wrapped in hand-drawn rubber hose animation inspired by 1930s cartoons. Jack Pepper's noir adventure through Mouseton delivers tight, fast-paced FPS gameplay backed by an outstanding original jazz big band soundtrack. On Steam Deck, the game runs smoothly at a locked 40fps with minimal visual trade-offs, earning its Verified status honestly. Some structural repetition across levels and a lightweight Metroidvania layer are minor complaints against an experience that stands out for its remarkable visual identity, satisfying gunplay, and evident care in optimization for both handheld and PC platforms.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There is no denying it: Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a game that knows how to have style. The idea of combining the look of 1930s animation with a noir story starring an anthropomorphic mouse worked incredibly well. While handling a detective story that gathers everything expected from works in that genre, the game addresses the problems within the city of Mouseburg, drawing direct parallels with the situations we face in our own reality. These aspects are complemented by fast-paced and extremely fun gameplay, resulting in an arcade shooter title that can easily hook you.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a very beautiful game whose gameplay unfortunately doesn't live up to that visual design. Gamers who are already a fan of this type of game or can overlook the repetition of its level design may enjoy this title, but it offers very little beyond that.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a stunning noir FPS that turns 1930s rubber hose animation into a brutal, stylish, and surprisingly atmospheric shooter. Its Doom-inspired gunplay, fantastic jazz soundtrack, Troy Baker’s strong voice performance, and BioShock-like sense of decay make Mouseburg unforgettable, even if the lower difficulty and mostly automated detective work keep it from being flawless.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Not the game of the year, and it doesn't try to be. A handcrafted indie FPS with a bold artistic vision that stays fun throughout without ever betraying its identity. The imperfections are there, but they don't overshadow what Fumi Games built: an original, visually memorable experience worth opening.
Review in Italian | Read full review
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is, indeed, a fantastic game. The world is well-imagined and the aesthetics are perfection, but the fact they’re all built around an absurdly fun first-person shooter makes this a game you absolutely need to play.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a game with an extraordinary sense of identity and a combat engine that feels great in your hands, slightly undercut by a reluctance to challenge the player holding the controller. It’s a remarkable debut that earns its place through sheer creative ambition, even when its systems don’t push back hard enough to match it.
Through all its flaws, Mouse: P.I. for Hire is an incredibly charming, well-paced and engaging shooter that rarely overstays its welcome.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire should’ve been shorter, but I still really enjoyed my time with it.
Fun, adrenaline-filled, and just the right amount of challenging. Fumi Games' shooter stands out for its style and is convincing, despite not inventing anything new.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a damn good first-person shooter disguised as an investigative noir. The P.I. elements of gritty puzzle solving and clue searching give way to the levels of violence we’d see in a DOOM game, but despite this juxtaposition, it somehow works. It's vital to set assumptions with how the game plays out, as the two genres don't gel entirely - those thinking this would be a quaint Dick Tracy-style case with a few gunfights thrown in for good measure will be sorely disappointed. But if you’re in the mood for a stunning run-and-gun game with oodles of big band Jazz music, a sarcastic detective and a competent story, then Fumi Games certainly delivers. The combat controls are tight and intuitive, the violence is comically over-the-top, and the experience is rip-roaringly fun.
There are a lot of ways I could take my thoughts when it comes to Mouse: P.I. For Hire. There were some issues I noticed, and I will note them. The thing is, though, it’s fun! It’s old school, unadulterated fun! It’s booting up your PlayStation 2 after rushing home from school, new game fever levels of fun!
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a stunning hand-drawn noir shooter with a jazz-soaked soul — visually unlike anything else this year.
Review in German | Read full review
MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is a title with a strong identity that has very high highs in terms of gameplay and audiovisual presentation, but also unignorable lows in terms of narration and coherence.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While a multiplayer mode and co-op would be great, those looking for a fun and at times challenging game will likely find lots to enjoy with the final product.
I don’t know whether this is good or bad, but as someone who usually isn’t a fan of shooters, Mouse: P.I. for Hire is one of the best shooters I’ve played so far—maybe even the best. It’s actually a bit of a shame that going for 100% completion isn’t very appealing, and that resources spawn far too excessively on normal difficulty. I’d also say the game feels a little too long. But aside from that, almost everything about it feels close to perfect for me. The cartoony black-and-white art style, which still doesn’t try to be child-friendly, adds a tremendous amount to the experience. The fact that I even enjoy the gunplay here is still surprising. The great story and small side activities also round things off nicely.
Review in German | Read full review
Whilst the constant cheese puns and fourth wall trope-busting may grate after a fashion, there's a lot to enjoy in Mouse: P.I. For Hire. The old school shooting, with even older visual style, brings back nostalgia and challenge in one hit. Whilst more shooter than detective caper, it's still a gouda time.
Fun, stylish, and bursting with visual personality, Mouse: P.I. For Hire turns Mouseburg into a detective adventure packed with gunfights, clues, and pure animated charm.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Although this is a game you don’t come across often, we believe it will go largely unnoticed by mainstream audiences. Still, Mouse: P.I. is not something you should miss, especially given how dry the FPS genre has been in terms of truly unique titles lately - but veterans of the genre may find a few disappointments along the way.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is truly a gem. Whether you are a fan of Disney-style cartoons or shooters, the title from Fumi Games simply has plenty to offer.
Review in Slovak | Read full review