Last updated on June 23, 2026
I have always had a soft spot for FPS games, especially from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era, a time that gifted us an absurd number of genuinely special titles, including one of my all-time personal favorites, The Darkness 2. That said, I never imagined I would one day sit down and play a game starring what is essentially a distant cousin of Mickey Mouse working as a detective in a Noir city. Yet here we are, and I am genuinely glad it happened.
Mouse: P.I. for Hire is developed by Fumi Games and published by Playside, and it arrives on the scene with a very clear vision: deliver a boomer shooter wrapped in hand-drawn, golden age animation aesthetics. It is one of the most visually striking titles of the year, and it absolutely knows it.
A Noir Game Done Right
To be honest, when Mouse: P.I. for Hire was first revealed, I was not immediately sold on it. The concept was appealing enough, but skepticism kept me at arm’s length. It looked like one of those games with tremendous style that would end up quietly sinking without making a ripple, like so many before it.
Then earlier this year I had a similar moment of pleasant surprise with Replaced, another visually stunning game that had seemed almost too good to be real but turned out to simply have had a rough development road. That experience opened me up a little. So when I finally booted up Mouse, the excitement was genuine, and I can say my expectations were exceeded, even if only by a comfortable margin.
Having not played a boomer shooter since Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, this game arrived at exactly the right moment. It felt like stumbling onto a perfectly grilled summer barbecue when you did not even know you were hungry.
Bang, and the Color Is Gone
In terms of gameplay, Mouse: P.I. for Hire is deliberately uncomplicated. It is designed for players who want to jump in and feel good immediately, without learning a tower of new mechanics. Some might see that as a limitation. I see it as a strength, especially after dozens of hours spent with Crimson Desert. Mouse arrived like a breath of fresh air, and that simplicity was exactly what I needed.
That said, the game does have one area where it stings. Despite the accessible exterior, completionists will hit a wall. The collectible system has a very unfriendly design flaw: if you miss a single collectible, such as a newspaper halfway through the game, there is no chapter select to go back and grab it. You have to restart from scratch and collect everything again. Missing one out of however many newspapers forced me to do exactly that, and it left a genuinely sour taste.
For a game that otherwise feels welcoming and light, that design choice sits awkwardly. It is the kind of thing that does not break the experience but absolutely deserves to be patched.
They Call Me Joel Sammy Mouse
A while back I tried watching Agent Carter, the Marvel series. At first glance it seemed like something I would enjoy, but after the opening episodes something felt off. Through that experience I discovered I have a particular sensitivity to the musical style of Noir films, a jazz-heavy, smoky atmosphere that tends to wear on me over time.
Mouse: P.I. for Hire leans fully into that same sound. The soundtrack is not what I would describe as sensational on its own merits, but it does its job remarkably well. It creates exactly the feeling you associate with those classic 1980s Noir films, moody, deliberate, slightly melancholic. For the world the game builds, it is the right call, even if it is not the kind of music I would listen to outside of the game.
A Cartoon Brought to Life
One of the most consistent observations I have made about this industry over the years is that a higher percentage of indie games carry better stories than the AAA titles we receive every month. Games that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce often deliver narratives that feel lazy or hollow. I will hold off on naming names, for now.
Mouse: P.I. for Hire does not have a story that completely floored me, but the way it is delivered earns genuine respect. The characters are interesting and distinct, the voice acting is excellent throughout, and the overall presentation kept me curious about where things were heading. More importantly, it kept me invested in the studio behind it. That kind of storytelling, not necessarily profound but well-crafted and enthusiastic, is exactly what makes you want to follow a developer’s next move.
When Did Morning Come?
Both Cuphead and Mouse: P.I. for Hire fall into that rare category of games you did not know you needed until you were already playing them. Neither is a perfect ten, but neither needed to be. The time I spent inside these worlds flew by in the best possible way, and that counts for a great deal.
I genuinely hope more indie studios take note and keep delivering titles with this kind of personality and visual commitment. At the end of the day, it is originality that gamers remember and keep coming back to, long after the bigger productions have been forgotten.
Final Score: 7.5 / 10
I’m passionate about books and video games. These two great passions represent, for me, a boundless universe where I can “escape” from reality whenever I need or want to. There are so many stories, worlds, and landscapes where I can instantly teleport that I don’t think a whole lifetime would be enough to explore them all (though it would be my greatest dream to be able to).
