Mixing video games and 1930s cartoons isn’t a brand new concept—just ask someone who played the frustratingly difficult Cuphead (and reviewed it for Gadgets back in 2017). The 1930s, while a time of difficulty around the world, produced some of the most iconic films in history (think The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind), so it only makes sense that video games explore this era more thoroughly. Enter Mouse: P.I. For Hire, a first-person shooter with the fun and quirky cartoon elements of the era. Can these totally not Mickey Mouse characters bring the magic to the first-person shooter genre?
You play as Jack Pepper, an anthropomorphic mouse who solves cases by finding clues and figuring out puzzles, as well as a nice dash of killing off bad guys with guns, melee weapons, and gadgets. The game takes place in a 1930s big city (New York) setting of Mouseburg. You even have some references to 1930s cartoons, such as a steamboat named Willie and a spinach power-up that makes your arms grow (Popeye). However, the game may be oversaturated with humor. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but mice and cheese jokes only go so far with audiences. Unless you really dig into the 1930s references, you might get confused by the contemporary slang. Still, Troy Baker, who voices Jack Pepper and has a wealth of video game and other voice-acting roles (Snow Villiers from Final Fantasy XIII, Samuel “Sam” Drake in the Death Stranding series, and Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite), does a great job, as does his supporting cast.
Now, onto the gameplay. Remember the numerous references to cheese? You can eat it normally, but melted cheese and powdered cheese are considered alcohol and drugs and part of “cheeselegging” (a clear reference to the practice of Prohibition-era bootlegging). You start with Jack’s hands and a pistol, but you can work your way up to shotguns, dynamites, James Guns (Tommy Guns), and strange weapons like the Devarnisher, which melts enemies and leaves them as a skeleton. This is probably my favorite weapon in the game. You can also do some classic platformer moves such as double jumps, dashing, hovering, and sliding. The graphics also stay true to their 1930s reference material. Enemies also bleed black ichor (or ink?) when killed.
One of the most frustrating things to deal with, however, is the enemies themselves. Unless you’re armed to the teeth, you’ll find yourself locked in a room constantly fighting bad guys, and this ramps up, especially if you’re playing on Supersleuth (hard) mode. While not brutally hard, those unfamiliar with first-person shooters or who can’t exploit cartoon physics may have a bit of a learning curve. You collect clues you can bring back to your office, where you can save after every mission.
You can collect a variety of items, including baseball cards, in a highly destructive environment, and open safes with Jack’s tail. One thing I hate about opening the safes is that some are ridiculously easy, while others are comically hard, with almost no middle ground. The baseball cards can be used to play a minigame, which is one of the better minigames I have seen in a game in years.
While I like Mouse: P.I. For Hire, it has some annoying flaws that could easily be patched up. While I prefer my shooters to have multiplayer (something Fumi Games should strongly consider), I actually found it okay to play through. The whole game is over in about 12 or so hours, but the baseball minigame can tack on a few more, and collecting everything is also a way to squeeze more replay value out of the game. While one of the better “boomer shooters” (a sub-genre of first-person shooter games that pays homage to Doom, Quake, and other classic shooters), it could be even better, and hopefully, Fumi Games brings Jack Pepper out for some more 1930s action.
Developer: Fumi Games
Publisher: PlaySide Studios
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
Words by Jose Alvarez
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 26 Issue No. 10