PLATFORM: PC, PS5, SWITCH 2, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Boomer shooters are ten a penny these days, but there aren’t many like Mouse: P.I. For Hire. Set in Mouseburg, a (very) alternate version of 1930s New York where the inhabitants are all anthropomorphic rodents, players assume the role of Jack Pepper, a private investigator in charge of a missing persons case. Taking cues from classic noir thrillers but adding plenty of subversive and satirical elements, the story unravels across 10-12 hours and takes in corruption, kidnapping, murder, lots and lots of cheese, and even a trip to a supernatural undead underworld…
Getting straight to the point, Mouse P.I. is one of the best games in its genre for quite some time. Each mission sends you to a different area of the city before returning back to your base where Jack puts together any clues that he’s found and figures out where to go next, before visiting a few shops to upgrade his gear and maybe playing a few rounds of a very addictive baseball-themed card game before jumping in his car and heading to the next location. Seemingly heavily inspired by Doom’s 2016 reboot, the focus is very much on fast-paced combat, with some downtime between fights to explore the environment and hunt for power-ups and upgrades. Your arsenal of weaponry feels great to use, and a range of handy tools like a grappling hook and floaty “helicopter hat” come into play during platforming sections that are spread liberally throughout each level.
It’s a fantastic looking game, too, with some phenomenal hand-drawn animations and striking black-and-white visuals giving a unique spin on some nicely varied environments like a steamboat, opera house and film studio. It’s in the latter area that we’re given a brief look at what the game might have looked like in full-colour, a tantalising glimpse at what might lie ahead in the future. The 1930s aesthetic is captured tremendously well, complemented by a superb jazz soundtrack that fits the mood perfectly. In Mouse P.I. For Hire, what might look at first glance like a bit of a gimmicky unassuming shooter quickly proves to be one of the standout entries in the entire genre. One not to be missed!
