'MOUSE: P.I. For Hire' Review: The Cheese Stands Alone

Without question, the first thing everyone will notice about MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, the debut effort from developer Fumi Games, is its 1930s-inspired, rubber-hose animation. Apart from Cuphead, there hasn't been another high-profile game that shares this look. Even within that, MOUSE embraces a black-and-white noir flavor that's different than the colorful Cuphead, creating a truly distinct aesthetic.

Presentation can only carry a game so far, though, and thankfully Fumi Games has attached its unique visuals to solid first-person shooter mechanics. The most direct comparison would be to 2016's DOOM reboot, which clearly influenced design decisions-if you played Bethesda's excellent FPS, the health and armor system here is nearly identical-as it emphasizes movement and offers lots of weapon choices with an ample supply of ammo to deal with enemies in whatever way appeals to you.

Where it falls short of DOOM, however, is in its challenge level. Even on the highest difficulty setting, MOUSE isn't a particularly tough game. A few enemy types might give you some trouble, most notably ones that attack from long range, but healing items are so prevalent that reaching the "game over" screen was a rare occurrence over the nearly 15 hours I spent chasing after 100 percent completion.

More enemy variety would've also been nice. While you do get some occasional level-specific foes, for the most part you're running into the same handful throughout, so you learn how to dispatch them effectively. As noted, ammo is everywhere, which plays into the frenetic pace, but it also allows you to really lean on a one-two punch rather than having to utilize your full arsenal. I favored the James Gun (the game's version of a Tommy Gun) and Boomstick (a shotgun) for probably 95 percent of encounters.

To be clear, there are other options, such as a portable freezer that ices enemies so you can shatter them with one shot, or a "Devarnisher" that works like acid and leaves foes as chattering skeletons, but the game never sends enemy types that make you adopt a specific approach. So, if I can take down everything with the James Gun, why bother using anything else beyond a self-imposed desire for variety?

There's also, ostensibly, a detective element at work. You play as Jack Pepper, a disillusioned war hero who has returned to Mouseburg and now makes his cheddar as a private investigator. It's a fine setup, and a world-weary gumshoe fits the noir tone. Unfortunately, you don't do any actual investigating. Yes, you collect clues as you progress through levels, but then you just bring them back to your office, press a button, and Jack pins them up. Eventually, he'll "resolve a lead" and a new area to visit will open. Rinse and repeat.

With that being the case, it creates a disconnect between the story that's being told and the way the action unfolds. Jack just goes from one place to the next, killing everyone, including hundreds of cops. I'm not going to get too deep in the weeds on the tonal consistency of a black-and-white game starring rodents, but the developer clearly put a lot of effort into the story, which isn't always the case with shooters.

Beyond the excellent visuals, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire also has a strong, period-appropriate soundtrack and quality vocal performances from its many characters, led by Troy Baker as Jack Pepper. While Baker is good, the best work comes from Frank Torado as Cornelius Stilton, Jack's war buddy that's running for mayor. It's a great showing all the way around, helping MOUSE earn top marks for its presentation.

Despite that, I find myself circling back to the story itself. On the one hand, it deals with some genuinely serious topics like xenophobia (or arguably ethnic cleansing)-the game's "Big Mouse Party" is a not-so-subtle stand-in for the Nazis, so you can guess who the disappearing shrews represent-yet at the same time it works to shoehorn in as many cheese-related puns and jokes as you can imagine. Commitment to the bit is one thing, but it crossed into overkill territory for me. In the end, the whole thing felt disjointed.

Returning to the gameplay, MOUSE is made up of standalone missions in mostly linear settings, though there are hidden areas to explore and collectibles to find. Each area closes off once your mission concludes, though, so you cannot revisit. Save rooms are plentiful, and there's solid variety with the locations. Between missions, you return to the area around your office, which serves as a hub where you can upgrade weapons and accept side quests.

You can also purchase ammo, which brings me to one of several bugs I encountered during my time with the game. While the game would debit my money, when I'd load into the next stage my guns would revert to their previous ammo levels. I also had combat music get stuck on loop even after the encounter had ended several times, points needed to progress failed to load, and on the penultimate level, there was basically no ammo to be found after reloading a save-based on the rest of the game, I'm guessing this was a bug. There also appears to be an issue with some trophies not unlocking after solving the cases.

Final Score (7.5/10)

Viewed purely for its unique presentation and prowess as a first-person shooter, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is well worth experiencing, assuming, of course, you like its graphical style. It's a little rough around the edges, with some technical issues and a story that can be all over the place in terms of tone and doesn't really feed into the gameplay loop, but it was never enough to keep me from enjoying my time with the game.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 5:34 PM.