Mouse, P.I. For Hire: PS5 Review

Developed by Fumi Games
Released by PlaySide Studios
Platform: PS5

Cuphead has a lot to answer for.

The game that took Mickey Mouse-style hand-drawn graphics and turned them into a run and gun platformer which was one of the hardest ever released was a sensation, thanks to a clever mix of both visuals and gameplay.

So it's no surprise that Fumi Games took the general aesthetic and applied it to the Gumshoe way of the world and the 1930s noir genre that became so popular. The result is Mouse: P.I. For Hire, a black and white game that takes FPS mentality and fires it through a prism of 1930s visuals and rubber hose cartoon aesthetics. 

You take on Jack Pepper, a former war hero who's become a private investigator in the city of Mouseburg, who's drawn into a missing persons case that soon spirals out of control. So far, so noir - and in terms of the storytelling, a lot of Mouse, P.I. For Hire hits all the genre spots you'd expect, dabbling in both the cliches of the time and also the lighter narrative touches that famous movies deployed.

But where Mouse, P.I. For Hire differentiates itself is by using its gorgeously sumptuous 2D animation to bring people into a world that feels both alive and animated (pun very much intended). From black ink as blood to some of the baddies looking like they're descendants of Goofy, the game very much throws players into what feels like a complete world, one that's easy and quick to be immersed in.

And the combat's solid too, meaning that Mouse, P.I. For Hire lives up to its FPS sensibilities, even if the baddies often just feel like marauding waves of bullet sponges ready for the offing. With a whole wheel of weapons to play with and collect, there are plenty of options for slapstick chaos and carnage.

Homages to some of the animated world's 1930s offerings are a nice touch too, ensuring an authenticity that makes Mouse, P.I. For Hire feel like it's been created by those who love the genre, rather than those who are simply exploiting it for commercial gain. It's a major plus point for the game, which, in truth, is more aimed at shooting than simply doing the investigative work.

If anything lets down Mouse, P.I. For Hire, it's the fact the story's not exactly a new one - but it really does seem like the creators wanted to nail the aesthetic of the game and the feel of a FPS meshed with Cuphead.

On that front, Mouse, P.I. For Hire is no Mickey Mouse outing - it's highly playable, delightfully violent and beautifully presented.