Games

Published on May 7th, 2026 | by Paul Stuart

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire: Review (PC)

Mouseburg’s legendary gumshoe Jack Pepper (cue one of infinite cheese puns) certainly has his hands and tail full. What began as a seemingly simple missing case of an infamous magician ended up so much worse. The mob, politicians, cops gone rogue, missing shrews, cultists, motion picture hijinks, a secret elite society, and even the supernatural: all stitched together in a criminal web with the worst of intentions.

There’s just so much to love about MOUSE: P.I. for Hire (‘MOUSE’). If looks could kill, Fumi Games’ masterpiece would be put away for life. Gorgeous, hand‑drawn 1930s rubber‑hose animation‑style graphics are featured throughout, with amazing attention to detail everywhere. Characters (playable and otherwise) bounce and bop in a deliberate Steamboat Willie feel, engendering a living and breathing black‑and‑white world. Everything is likewise presented in a very clever 2D fashion against a first‑person 3D shooter backdrop. Driving around Mouseburg is beyond fun as well. You will likely not find a better‑looking indie game anywhere in 2026.

Audio also stands out as a major positive. MOUSE’s soundtrack is exceptional, a magnificent array of jazz tunes reminiscent of that era, accompanied by wonderful sound effects which — when fused with MOUSE’s visuals — produce a stellar nostalgic feel. I dare you not to be humming the key songs when not playing.

Similarly, voice‑overs are a bright spot of MOUSE: P.I. for Hire. Each character — especially the protagonist — features a truly unique and well‑acted Chicago‑esque flair. Personally, I loved the dialogue, which once again matches the era perfectly. Corniness and puns seem to go hand‑in‑hand with a mouse detective game, and there are certainly plenty of them here.

MOUSE is also a pretty long game for an indie title, with around 20 hours required for a complete playthrough (assuming one digs for all the secrets). There are certainly many of them, well hidden throughout. MOUSE’s secrets yield blueprints to upgrade weapons, cash for collectables, and baseball cards (playable in an old‑fashioned card game within the bar). A fairly intuitive safe‑unlocking system (via Jack’s tail) gains access to MOUSE’s most prized items. Sadly, fail enough times and the secret is literally locked out forever. Most safes can be solved without too much difficulty, however.

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is spread across an array of unique environs throughout Mouseburg, each with a truly distinct feel. Levels are quite large, with MOUSE’s footprint (a d‑pad push away) proving a beyond‑helpful aid to keep one on track. Note this isn’t a perfect science, as it will often lead to areas yet to be accessible. Still, it certainly ameliorates the otherwise frustrating wandering of MOUSE levels to nowhere. Each said level finishes with a boss fight, some with several mini‑bosses scattered throughout. A number of typewriters serve as save points within a level, and MOUSE is aided by auto‑saves at key junctures [between manual save points]. Warning: see the note below on save glitches.

MOUSE’s first‑person shooter mechanics work quite well for such a challenging presentation [in balancing 2D versus 3D in hand‑drawn presentation], with all bad guys and weapons sporting beautiful immersive qualities. While there are a fair number of weapons to select and upgrade at game conclusion, only a few end up being truly useful. Why? The bad guys are aplenty, and in limited, fixed archetypes. You will often need every one of the ammo refills and health‑recovery bottles to survive a level. Some weapons just don’t pack enough punch or ammo capacity.

Sadly, MOUSE: P.I. for Hire’s gameplay falls well short of its presentation. While gorgeous to look at and listen to, MOUSE: P.I. for Hire becomes monotonous around four hours in due to its limited enemy types and the ways levels unfold. Levels — while distinct — are not interesting enough to pull one in via actual mechanics when traversing them, and some are just head‑scratching in the journey required. Also, bosses are clearly intended to be dealt with in a preferred style or risk endless hair‑pulling repetition. Once these preferences are uncovered, one can be left feeling stupid for so much time wasted. Even more so, as game retry can take up to a solid minute on the Steam Deck before being restored from whence one came.

MOUSE inserts some fun additional actions (grapple, pipe navigation, propeller, wall‑walking, double‑jumping, etc.) along the way, but occasionally odd physics and platform angles don’t help much. This includes the super‑annoying ‘stuck in acid’ mechanic, which will punish players often through non‑responsiveness across several levels, notably boss battles. Expect to yell at ladders many times.

Another deadly sin is MOUSE’s zero backtracking. This means once a checkpoint is reached, the rest of a level prior is done forever. Goodbye missed secrets, safes, gun upgrades, or even character actions subsequently needed (if one failed to interact with a needed NPC). Related, and while characters are interesting, side quests are silly, and the crime wall doesn’t really explain logic linkages well. Specifically, the linear progression a detective tale should embody really doesn’t. Oddly, money — featured everywhere and as key deliverables of secrets — does zero to help this. It buys nothing of value beyond ammo refills [already aplenty in levels].

Last, be wary of broken save dynamics… especially if you die at the exact same moment a checkpoint is accrued. It will corrupt that file with no fix.

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is so ambitious a title visually and audio‑wise, it almost feels wrong criticising its execution. But sadly, the yin versus yang divide is huge. This is a game with an exceptional story, presentation and cast… that would make a wonderful movie. As a game, however, it is a below‑average shooter.

Final Thoughts

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire may be the most gorgeous game you play in 2026…but sadly not in execution. It’s wonderful to look at and listen to, but an overly formulaic approach with gameplay shortcomings hamper its overall execution.

About the Author

Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.

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