Not long after Disney’s original Steamboat Willie entered the public domain, we got a wave of games, movies, and more with a curiously familiar mouse. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire was announced soon after this and obviously draws inspiration from classic rubberhose animation, but within a wacky boomer shooter. It’s taken a few years for developer Fumi Games to finish their 1930’s noir first-person shooter, and with a few delays. Now, after a quick refining, did this aged noir tale turn out to be gouda, or is it really a muenster that should have been left out to pasteurize? Find out in our MOUSE: P.I. For Hire review!

This is a review coupled with a supplemental video review. You can watch the video review or read the full review of the game below:

Game: MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
Developer: Fumi Games
Publisher: Playside
Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed),
Release Date: April 16th, 2026
Players: 1
Price: Base: $29.99 USD

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is the story of Jack Pepper (Voiced by Troy Baker), a former detective and war hero turned private investigator. Like noir films, the game starts out with a chase sequence that looks to spell disaster for our hero. Despite his questionable past and unorthodox way of getting things done, Jack is beloved in his community, and many come to him in order to solve cases that the police turn a blind eye to.

After the disappearance of a popular magician named Steve, renowned journalist Wanda requests Pepper’s help in solving the case. Along the way, the player must foil an assassination attempt, kill cultists, and even save his beloved neighborhood.

As the player uncovers the truth behind the disappearance of the magician, they also learn about a dark conspiracy involving the disappearance of the Shrews, police corruption, cheese smuggling, and political unrest and bribery.

The game’s narrative draws inspiration from tales of New York City and Chicago during prohibition, and popular tropes from noir films like The Maltese Falcon and Murder My Sweet, while also drawing inspiration from Rockstar’s L.A. Noire; even the vehicle used to drive between different areas is inspired by the popular cars of the 1920s/30s.

The character’s personality draws inspiration from popular noir detectives such as Dick Tracy, Cole Phelps (L.A. Noire), and Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), while delivering cheesy one-liners based on the time period, environments, and characters.

The story is still dark, with crime being rampant in and out of the shadows. While the main story may cover a disappearance entwined with a murder mystery, its overarching plot feels pretty routine, up until the later chapters in the game.

Rather than taking on the genre and coming up with an ending that aligns with a typical noir finale, the developers went a different direction and created a literal hell for the player to deal with. While the twist is an interesting approach, it does detract from the noir feeling and setting that they had established throughout the story.  

While the story may be fairly common, outside of the hell verse, what truly shines is the game’s soundtrack and visuals. Outside of the black and white, yellow paint to direct players where to jump, the game’s artwork is captivating and creates an immersive environment by using a nostalgic art style dating back to classic rubberhose cartoons. The only time color was utilized was during the Wizard of Oz-themed level.

Although I did not love Troy Baker’s voice acting and felt that others would have done a better job, overall, it was passable, but there were several times that his acting felt stretched or forced. The rest of the cast did an excellent job giving a wonderful performance, and that includes even some of the lesser cast that appear only briefly. 

The game’s overall musical composition is what truly brought the game to life. Whether it was the atmospheric background noise or music playing during combat, the jazzy noir fusion set the mood for any occasion. Throughout the game, there were times when I wanted the music to be louder to have a more immersive experience and truly get into the swing of things. 

Though enemies are reused throughout the game, each level feels unique, fresh, and well thought out. The guns in the game have a 1930s/40s feel to them, while their upgraded versions have a cartoonish feel. The weapon designs are interesting at first, but when you upgrade them, they fall kind of flat. The upgrades could have been outlandish and comical compared to just adding a reticle or a pressure gauge.

Combat within MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, while fun at first, can feel repetitive. The gunplay can be challenging early on, but after unlocking and upgrading the Devarnisher and James Gun (Tommy Gun), combat becomes routine and easy to deal with. The only exception to this rule is during boss fights and ambushes, but even then, it still feels easy. In fact, during our whole playthrough, I only died 10 times; over half of those deaths came from dying to environmental damage that I was unaware of or instant death scenarios.

Before the first patch, I encountered two major issues while playing MOUSE: P.I. For Hire that made progressing further into the game a bit difficult. In addition to these two major issues, there are some gameplay elements that can leave a sour taste in the player’s mouth.

The first major issue was the inability to pick up money or ammo easily, which had me repeatedly walk over them in order to pick them up. Another issue was that enemies could shoot through the walls, or attacks would be invisible. Since the initial patch, this issue has become less prevalent, but it still occasionally occurs.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire unfortunately has the occasional invisible walls, and you can potentially get stuck. Some areas looked like you could jump into the next area, but instead, you hit an invisible wall. Sometimes this would even lead to you falling to your death or taking fall damage. On rare occasions, it could also lead to being stuck behind an indestructible object, resulting in us having to reload from a checkpoint or previous save.

I also didn’t like that you can accidentally make a wrong turn, and a locked door will fall behind you, stopping you from going backwards to search for ammo, money, or collectibles, even after clearing the room. In order to go back and search the area, you will need to either load a save prior to the path closing or restart the entire level.

MOUSE: P.I. also has no level select after you complete the game, and there is no way to go back to a neutral area to upgrade guns or play the Baseball minigame in order to unlock the secret weapon.

There’s also no New Game Plus, so if you want to play the game on a harder difficulty (Rookie/Easy, Detective/Normal, or Supersleuth/Hard), you will have to start an entirely new playthrough. 

While MOUSE: P.I. For Hire may have some flaws, it is still a fairly enjoyable game. The core gameplay and gunplay are rather polished, and it can be a fun experience. Combat within the game is fairly standard when you compare it to other first-person shooters.

The story itself is passable for a noir tale, but the game feels like it’s more about references to other games. If you like noir-style games and wacky boomer shooters, then you’ll enjoy MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. At the end of the day, I did have a lot of fun with the game, even with its cheesy one-liners.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire was reviewed on an Xbox Series X using a copy provided by PlaySide. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is now available on Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Steam), PlayStation, and Xbox Series X|S.