MОUSE

That one mf at IGN really saw all these excellent visuals, hand-drawn animations, voice acting, ambient sounds, music, diverse locations, weapons, bosses, and a runtime of a proper noir TV series and really was like [i]“nah too many cheese jokes game sucks”[/i] Listen here you are really incompetent at your job and should go back to McDonalds and put the fries in the bag because HOW do you look at one of the most stylistically unique shooters in years and your biggest complaint is “the mouse says cheese too much” gtfo go play it and don’t listen to some game journo talking smack for an overly fantastic one-of-a-kind game. [h2]Maybe the real cheese was the IGN we laughed at along the way. / 10[/h2]

[h2]tl;dr[/h2] very unique and charming noir boomer shooter with some rough edges [h2]Overview[/h2] MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a boomer shooter at its core, but wrapped in a layer of absurdity, cheese, and a very unique art style combining 30s cartoons and gritty noir fiction. The premise is simple. You play as Detective Jack Pepper doing Detective things: Solving cases and shooting bad guys. [h2]The Good Stuff[/h2] Lets address the elephant in the room: it is safe to say that the art style served as a USP for this game and it truly is very unique and simply charming. It’s a visual feast that manages to be both retro and fresh. The map alone is pure charm, and the soundtrack is catchy and immersive, perfectly capturing the noir vibe. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3729412636 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3733072975 The gameplay is basic boomer shooter territory, but it’s well executed. It feels tight, responsive, and surprisingly smooth. While the boss fights are nothing crazy, they are mostly engaging and fun, adding a nice climax to the levels. Detective Jack Pepper is voiced by absolute legend Troy Baker which is amazing. The voice acting in general is quite impressive, adding a lot of personality to the characters. The level design is creative and refreshingly old school, leaves a lot to discover while remaining mostly straight forward. What really surprised me was the sheer amount of dialogue. It’s not just filler it’s woven into the core experience. The story is a genuine noir tale dressed in a mouse’s clothing, with a lot of cheese and a lot of weirdness. It does not take itself serious at all, which is a breath of fresh air and gave me quite a couple cases of the giggles. There is a huge amount of reference humor, and I mean an absurd amount. Hence, there are a shtton of secrets and easter eggs to discover. [h2]The Sorta-Kinda-Grinds-My-Gears-Stuff[/h2] Unfortunately, the story could not keep me invested until the end. Ultimately, it is kinda "whatever". The reference humor, while funny at first, can get overwhelming after a while. Part of the weaponry feels like nothing more than a gimmick, and there are certain abilities you can unlock that feel unnecessary, at least in the way they are implemented in the levels. At times, the game nudges you to use a specific ability, but three of them are just fine to overcome the corresponding obstacle, which feels odd. Also, not every game needs to be a Souls title, especially in a world where Souls fatigue is a thing. But P.I. For Hire was surprisingly easy on the hardest difficulty. It’s not the end of the world, but for me, it was quite notable in my first playthrough. The addition of a minigame revolving around Baseball Cards is a nice touch that also adds to a sense of immersion, but the game itself is very barebones, tedious and just boring. It really doesn't enhance the game in a meaningful way. [h2]The Atrociously-Bad Stuff[/h2] My major gripe comes down to design philosophy. The matter of fact that there is neither a NG+ nor a chapter replay feature in this game is just beyond me, as it kinda feels like it was developed with that in mind. In a way, the map and the game itself hint that each chapter wants to be replayed. There is a huge amount of secrets and collectibles, you will unlock some weapons and abilities very late in the story, and you will collect money until the very end. It seems like you can put these things to use in some sort of replay, but that is not the case. As it is close to impossible to find and grasp everything on your first (blind) run, you are required to restart the entire game to look for a certain secret or collectible in a specific level. In a way, this is a somewhat oldschool approach, but it feels odd. It is creative to add missed collectibles to the store once you reach the point of no longer being able to acquire them, but money can actually be an issue. But more on that in the next section. The devs have responded in the community hub and are "aware" of the issue. They may tackle it in an update. For now, it is how it is. [h2]Achievement-Hunter-Things[/h2] Some come quite natural, others are a b. Like mentioned before, a lot of stuff is highly missable. Guides exist and are necessary. Due to the inability to replay missions, you will probably have to play the game at least twice if you value your first run to be blind and not entangled with a guide. If you miss one thing, you will have to restart all over again, which made staying on par with the guide and my save file arrangement slightly stressful, lol. You will need your money for some collectibles that are only obtainable by buying them. Also, you will need to grind out 30 wins in the minigame. As each round costs money you actually can’t afford to buy anything else. I reckon the random money drops from enemies are kinda RNG, but I nearly missed the total amount needed for every game and every collectible in the end, so be aware of that. If there is the possibility to grind out some money, do it. And remain cautious to really rid the level of each and every goon. The minigame grind was pure tedious busywork and by far my least favorite part of the game. There will come a point in most rounds where it is impossible for one player to win (or lose), but you have to endure every round after that, which is mind-boggling. [h2]Conclusion[/h2] For the most part of my first playthrough, I had a blast, and I can really recommend the experience. The game is very cheap for a full-price game. While completion is not hard, it is pretty inconvenient, at least for the time being. Unfortunately, the closer I got to 100%, the more I was just glad to be done with it. This might change with future updates. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference. One run took me roughly 12 hours. If that investment and fun is worth the money for you, go for it. Otherwise, wait for a sale.

Mouse PI for hire is charming indie game that focuses on fun, story telling, world building and nearly nonstop action. The pros for this game are as follows: Graphics - A beautiful stylized world of hand drawn animations bringing you back to old school cartoons. There is never a moment in this game where you are looking around and don't say "oh thats cool". Everything is meticulously detailed and it really shows. Gameplay - This game has all the hallmarks of a typical boomer shooter. There is a TON of weapons, i was actually shocked at how many weapons are available. Not only that but every weapon has 3 tiers of upgrades and an alt fire that changes how they operate. All this combined leads to extensive gameplay options on how you tackle challenges. The clue finding, mystery solving and exploration are all top notch in this game as well. Story - I was shocked to find a semi serious story being told here considering the setting. Jacks adventure through trying to find out the truth behind multiple cases, leading all back to the main story is very fun to discover. Piecing it all together on his clue board and figuring out where to go next. Theres alot to find here story wise that I was overall surprised in a good way. Boss Battles - the bosses in this game are actually super fun. They do take quite a bit of strategy to defeat, especially on higher difficulties. This game may look silly, but it doesnt play like a silly game most of the time. Music - The music is TOP TIER in this game. EVERYTHING fits the setting and it hits perfectly. Whenever battle happens and the music ramps up, the jazz beats. All of it is great. Cons: Difficulty - The game is actually super easy for anyone who even remotely is good at FPS's or boomer shooters. I recommend playing on hard difficulty right off the bat and even then, probably wont be very difficult for anyone experienced. I was a little let down by this. The final boss however is pretty insane and makes up for it a little. Hours - The game is a bit short. Definitely meant to be replayed, i just dont know if i will replay this game over and over as I dont think its set up to be played like that unless you want to do the entire campaign all over again. Overall this game is amazing and is yet another true indie gem that outshines its AAA competition. Fantastic game and I thank you for the experience. Thanks for reading.