Game overview
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a single-player first-person shooter developed by Fumi Games and published by PlaySide Studios. Set in the fictional anthropomorphic city of Mouseburg, it follows hardboiled private investigator Jack Pepper as a routine missing persons case unravels into a conspiracy involving corruption, kidnapping, and murder.
Gameplay
The game combines fast-paced FPS combat with movement mechanics and investigative sequences across more than 20 levels.
- Combat is built around constant movement, with wall-running, double-jumping, and grapple-hook traversal.
- The arsenal includes over ten weapons and equipment items, alongside consumable power-ups that provide temporary advantages in combat.
- Movement abilities are unlocked progressively, opening previously inaccessible areas in a Metroidvania-inspired structure.
- Investigative segments involve gathering clues and interacting with characters across varied environments, including film studios, an opera house, swamps, and sewers.
- Boss encounters are present throughout the campaign.
- The campaign runs approximately 12 to 20 hours depending on playstyle.
Presentation
The game uses a black-and-white rubber hose animation style drawn by hand, frame by frame, modelled on 1930s cartoons. The soundtrack features an original big band jazz score composed by Patryk Scelina, with an additional track by Caravan Palace.