Skip to content 
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a new FPS title from developer Fumi Games and publisher PlaySide. The game has been out on Steam, reviewed here, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S since April 28th, 2026. Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a straightforward FPS that gives way to complex mechanics in favour of style, story, and exploration. It’s a difficult experience to pin down, as the FPS action is very much in line with classic Doom or Duke Nukem, but the story and aesthetics feel like a 1940s film noir detective story trapped in a 1920s Mickey Mouse cartoon.
The story is set in the cartoon town of Mouseburg, where a retired police detective turned private eye solves cases by tracking down clues and killing off the bad guys. Throughout Mouse: P.I. For Hire, you’ll visit areas of the town via an overhead map that slowly unlocks as you pick up more clues and solve more cases. While finding clues and adding them to your case board after every level is an interesting aspect, this isn’t really explored as an actual gameplay mechanic and is mostly just used as a way to show progress.
Most of the game is spent trawling through levels, shooting bad guys, blowing things up, and getting through with your fur intact. The action is decent, with a variety of weapons from a basic shooter through to more complex weapons that melt the poor, on-running cartoon goons. The combat, for the most part, is mostly aim, shoot, kill, survive, and repeat, but it’s fun and does get chaotic at times. There are, of course, staged boss fights that usually happen in an arena and require you to work out the boss’s attack patterns to win.
For all the cartoon fun of the combat, this, like the clues, feels like a missed opportunity. Given the premise of this being a cartoon world, we could’ve had Acme-style boxing gloves on springs or cardboard cutouts of animated babes to distract enemies stealthily. This is a harsh criticism, though, because the madcap nature of the combat is well-implemented, and there are some great animations for the enemies’ dying. It just might’ve been a little better if the basic enemies had a little more variety in the way they attacked.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire also has an intriguing story that leans heavily into the film noir detective style. While it’s mostly comedic, with one too many cheese references, we could easily believe this was based on an actual cartoon or old film from Warner Bros. or Disney. Most of the story is played out by talking to other characters between missions. This not only leads to making sense of the cases, but also aids in opening up the world map a little more by suggesting heading to another part of the city to learn more.
Another fun aspect of this game is the collect-a-thon nature of collecting old newspapers, baseball cards, and other artifacts that add some replay value after the main game is finished. The baseball cards are the most interesting part, as these are used in a trading card game played in the bar, where players take turns to pitch or bat to score runs or strikeouts. It’s a well-made mini game and adds some extra depth that completionists will appreciate.
While Mouse: P.I. For Hire never really hits the highs or lows of a traditional noir story, mostly due to the cartoon setting, the amount of pop culture references from the 1920s to the 1940s is immense. Everything from Steamboat Willie to Metropolis gets a mention, and this is one of the standout aspects of the entire game. It felt great hearing an oofbeat reference in a seemingly standard exchange between characters, or a poster on a wall, and pointing at the screen, thinking “I got it”. For some, this may be reason enough to try this one out.
Overall, Mouse: P.I. For Hire doesn’t do anything particularly new in terms of story, action, or mechanics, but does do everything you would expect in an old shooter very well. The shooting and platform sections are well-thought-out, and the evolving story and detective vibes are entertaining throughout. The main reason to check this one out, though, is the extremely good aesthetics; the graphics and animations are excellent, as is the game’s score, which could’ve come right out of a Disney movie from 90 years ago. We recommend this one if the art style grabs you; if it doesn’t, then this is just another FPS.
