MOUSE: P.I. For Hire was a game that instantly caught my eye from its initial trailer. I had the opportunity to preview the game in an off-hand setting at Summer Game Fest 2025, and the showing I got made me a true believer in this debut release for Fumi Games.
Fast forward to now, and I recently had the chance to spend an hour hands-on with MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. Let me tell you: I was a believer last Summer, but now? I’m confident Fumi Games has made something very special if this is what to expect in the full game.
In this preview, I explored a factory filled with traps and enemies as Jack Pepper, which was quite an interesting area. This was seemingly placed earlier in the story, as Jack heads here after receiving a lead about a secret lab. This lab was crawling with enemies, forcing me to utilize different weapons depending on the situation. I was able to switch between a pistol, shotgun, SMG, and even a gun that literally melts enemies. Each of these feels great to use, as the game is quite responsive. Jack is able to quickly maneuver around enemies with a jump and dodge, so you can quickly position yourself behind an enemy with a shield, for example.
The big star of the secret lab is the boss fight, which debuted in a recent trailer. As I progressed further into the lab, I fought different iterations of a mouse robot, and boy, were these fun. Each fight has a newer model of the robot, which slowly evolves and adds more moves. One might point lasers your way, while the next might throw mines all over and rush at Jack. I’m very interested to see how the rest of the boss battles turn out, as this small taste was a gouda time.
One of my favorite pieces (and most unexpected!) of the secret lab was the small sections that focused on platforming. I did not see much of this during SGF 2025, but it seems that MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is going to have some solid platforming elements. One section had me jumping to avoid an electricity-spiked pool, which was a fun change of pace from all the run-and-gun. Plus, there are puzzles and safe minigames that you can interact with. Additionally, small shout – MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has a true world map! And yes, that’s a world map like a PS1 Final Fantasy game. As you might expect, I was not able to explore this fully, but it looks massive and incredibly promising.
I still cannot get over how moving and intriguing the visuals are. As the first thing most will notice, the presentation for MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is out of this world. Fumi Games’ decision to blend 2D rubber hose animation with 3D environments has created a game unlike anything else I’ve seen before. Everything is alive and moving, especially the UI, where you see your bullets or health animated and react when firing your gun or taking damage. There is much to talk about with how great the blend of 2D and 3D is executed, but I’ll save that for a later time.
Attention to detail is everywhere, and this extends to audio, too. Fumi Games has added a customizable level of Sound Degradation, with options including Vinyl, Cellulose Disc, Cylinder Black Celluloid, and Brown Wax Cylinder. These uniquely shape and change the audio throughout the game, which is such a neat addition to further ground this experience in the 1930s style. Beyond sound settings, the audio itself was a joy to listen to. Troy Baker as Jack Pepper is a blast, making for a perfect, sharp detective who has plenty of puns to spare. The soundtrack has a very old-school jazz kick to it, which is enhanced and accompanied by the numerous sound effects. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire does everything it can to immerse you in its world, and I’d argue the audio is even more impressive than the gorgeous visuals.
Overall, I came away very impressed with what I’ve played so far of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. On the surface, it could appear that the game is more focused on presentation than anything else, but the gameplay is right there to back it up. Gunplay was blitzing fun, platforming was neat, and the boss fights feel primed to be memorable. It’s grate to see a game with such a sharp aesthetic place equal emphasis on gameplay.
Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long for the full release of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. Although the game had a slight delay, we’re just six weeks away from release, and I could not be more excited to play for myself. If the full game can live up to the small slice I played, it truly feels like this is going to be an indie game we’ll be looking back on for years to come.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire releases on April 16 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
