If you’re like me, you were instantly hooked the second you saw the wonderful 2D/3D combination displayed in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. Poland-based Fumi Games has impressed me with every showing of this upcoming 1930s-inspired shooter, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see a segment of the game at Summer Game Fest behind closed doors. This was a hands-off demo, with members of the development team playing right next to me on the couch. Our preview followed one of the earlier missions in the game, where Jack Pepper was on the hunt for clues surrounding a missing person at an opera house.
Before diving into the gameplay, I can’t help but really dissect just how impressive the visuals are. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire aims for a noir-like 1930s aesthetic, resulting in black and white visuals with film grain effects. Fumi Games has hand-drawn dozens and dozens of characters in such a charming and expressive way, with beautiful rubber hose animation tying everything together. While the characters are all animated and drawn in 2D, the environments are all modeled in 3D! This creates a seriously unique art direction that I’m honestly enamored with. The developers toyed with the blend of 2D and 3D quite often in the gameplay I saw, with 2D items like dynamite turning 3D once thrown by Jack.
I’ll be upfront: based on trailers, I was expecting MOUSE: P.I. For Hire to be more fast-paced and focused on just clearing waves of enemies through levels. However, I couldn’t be happier to have been wrong. This game has a clear focus on storytelling, with loads of NPCs to talk to and secrets to discover. You play as Jack Pepper (yes, that’s a cheese pun), a private investigator who was once a hero of war. After initially taking on a job, Jack slowly uncovers a massive scheme that continues to involve more and more mice in Mouseburg.
In the preview, I was shown multiple instances of exploration rewards that could be found in the level for those who dare to stray from the path. The developers want to both incentivize players to explore and reward them for doing so. One area of the demo had Jack climbing in an air vent to secretly enter the building, and if you didn’t use a flashlight, you would fall into a hidden hole. There are even baseball card collectibles that unlock a baseball card minigame at the hub, with each card being based on a real-life player. We found a Babe Ruth-inspired baseball card, and of course, the player was named after cheese. I really appreciate this because it allows you to connect with the world and its characters. Immersion is important, and the story lends itself well to the rubber hose-style world Fumi Games have created.
As for gameplay, it looks like so fun. There are quite a few different weapons you can find in the environment, and they each have different uses depending on the enemies you’re up against. Once again, the rubber hose animation shines here, as each weapon is very expressively animated and filled with charm. Fumi Games has leaned into the idea that these characters are cartoons, so you can even make use of a weapon that melts the paint off of them. I wasn’t expecting MOUSE: P.I. For Hire to be as bloody and gruesome as it can get, but it’s yet another nice touch that blends well with both the setting and direction of the game.
Finally, audio was another strong point in my experience. Fumi Games and PlaySide appeared at the annual Summer Game Fest showcase to reveal that protagonist Jack Pepper is voiced by Troy Baker, and his lines sounded excellent (and filled with humor). Beyond Jack, each of the NPCs he interacted with was also voiced, which helped sell the high-stakes scenes of the story that played out. As Jack attempted to prevent the assassination of a mayoral candidate, the voice acting from the NPCs rapidly increased my interest in the characters and story. This also goes for music, which fit the aesthetic well and ramped up each time Jack went into combat.
I’m thrilled that MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is set to launch later this year. With an extremely creative art direction, fun gameplay, and an interesting narrative, I’m eager to learn more and uncover the truth about the happenings of Mouseburg. If my preview segment was anything to go by, I have a feeling this is going to be a game many will be talking about for years to come.
