Mouse: P.I. For Hire Review

Pretty Gouda

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a refreshingly artistic action FPS. First-time Polish developer Fumi Games really set itself apart with a charming black-and-white rubber hose hand-drawn art style. This, combined with boomer shooter gameplay, proves that even classic genres still have room for unique ideas and innovation.

Publisher: PlaySide

Developer: Fumi Games

Platform: Played on PC

Availability: Released April 16, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Shooting is surprisingly fast-paced with open combat areas to dash and jump around, only allowing for slow, controlled aiming when few minor enemies are around. Weapons feel responsive and reliable, although after multiple upgrades, the damage done did not feel noticeably increased. Upgrades also improve accuracy, magazine size, and unlock an alternate firing mode, which all add a stronger feeling of progression. Enemy variety is diverse enough that fights can mix and match enemies to not feel repetitive, and on top of that, also have unique units for each faction, giving them each a distinct feel.

The term boomer shooter is not what I would have thought best to describe the playstyle of a rubber hose noir set in the 1930s. And yet, the parallel theme between the two caught me by surprise. Both focus on a single character, fighting against the odds to reach their goals. Mettle, grit, determination, and sometimes luck are the keys to success for both. You play as Jack Pepper, a P.I. for hire who finds himself at the center of disappearances, corruption, and murder. Hopefully there are enough thumbtacks and string to connect it all.

The supporting cast helping with your investigation is a diverse cast of characters. Typical introductions are rare, as Jack has seemingly been at this a while, enforcing his experience through the variety of contacts, along with the overly casual conversational tone. The writing is solid, although expectedly cheesy. Troy Baker delivers a great performance as the classic, although less down on his luck than usual, gumshoe.

The rubberhose aesthetic does carry much of the game's charm.

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The black-and-white aesthetic is core to the atmosphere and art style; its beautiful 3D environments at times look straight out of a cartoon or professional real-world recreation in a theme park, and the music perfectly emphasizes each area’s theme and tone. Characters are bouncy and replicate the rubber hose aesthetic well, even as the enemy deaths are in the vein of typical FPS violence.

The main drawback that is, unfortunately, at the forefront of every interaction is how bad the lip flaps are. Lower-budget or dialogue-heavy games might go with switching between key poses to show emotion or emphasis, or have a basic, short looping animation of the character opening and closing their mouth. Both are simple, but are more than enough to get the job done. The opposite end of the budget and effort spectrum is fully matching a character's animation with dialogue.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire has found a weird middle ground that really distracts me during dialogue scenes. When talking to a character, a talking animation seems to be chosen at random and can repeat an unlimited number of times. One interaction consisted of the character I was talking to never opening their mouth, choosing instead to jitter around with a clenched jaw as if stuck on a consonant. What seems to purposefully match the dialogue is when characters strike a pose for emphasis, but even that has a bizarrely short duration. Having the game’s dialogue set to automatically advance, these poses last for less than a second.

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The characters are designed and drawn so well, so this choice feels bizarre and nonsensical to the point that I hope it is caused by a bug or changes in the near future, so as to not distract from everything the game has going for it.

Performance overall has been great, with a few bugs and hiccups during my playtime. Broken cars playing engine sounds, jarring audio static when moving the weapon wheel or setting sliders, enemies getting stuck, and once having to restart when no enemies spawned, leaving the exit door locked. The save points are shockingly frequent, as if to replace an auto-save system, although the game does also auto-save. One definite gripe is not being able to go back to any previous levels — all collectibles and items have one chance to be found.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire stands out with its striking rubber hose art style and energetic FPS gameplay, proving classic formulas can still feel fresh. Combat is fast and satisfying, supported by a strong atmosphere, music, and voice acting. However, distracting lip-sync issues and minor bugs occasionally interrupt immersion. Despite these flaws, it’s a memorable and creative experience from a new developer team worth keeping an eye on.

Verdict

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a stylish and surprisingly fast-paced FPS that leans hard into its rubber hose noir identity while still delivering solid, movement-driven combat. The presentation, music, and voice work carry much of the experience, even when upgrades feel underwhelming. Unfortunately, awkward lip-sync and occasional bugs do interrupt the pacing, but there’s plenty of originality here to make it stand out despite these minor issues.

Image Credits: PlaySide

Disclaimer: We received a free copy of this game from the publisher.