PC Critic Reviews

Color graded in black and white, don't be fooled by its noir film aesthetic—this FPS is vibrant. A true passion project that's pure entertainment from start to finish, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is an impressive and unpredictably wild rollercoaster ride of high octane action, witty dialogue, and innovative fun. Side effects from playing MOUSE: P.I. For Hire may include: Humming to the main theme when completing ordinary tasks, making cheese puns in conversation, seeing the world in black and white, wishing Call of Duty had animated bullets, and adding detective experience onto your resume. Be warned, you'll want all future games to be as detailed as this, I certainly do.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is one of those rare games that feels fully formed, not just in its individual parts, but in how those parts come together. It’s a shooter, yes, but it’s also a character study, a stylistic experiment, and a love letter to a form of animation that rarely gets this kind of attention in games. It feels tailored for me, as a person, and it’s well worth the wait. By combining a strong narrative structure with expressive gameplay and a truly unique visual identity, it stands out in an increasingly crowded genre.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire embodies a magnificent triple-threat of retro stylings, managing a careful balancing act between noir theming, cartoony visuals, and vintage FPS gameplay. The gameplay is fast, responsive, and above all else, fun as all get out, while the story and characters manage to be intriguing in that classic pulp novel fashion while also being entertaining to watch and talk to. It draws you in like a detective magazine, getting you invested in the state of the city, while keeping you merrily chugging along with good ol’ cartoony violence. It’s not a revolutionary game as far as the FPS genre goes, but considering its adherence to multiple kinds of retro aesthetics, I don’t think being revolutionary was the mission statement here.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is an exceptional, hand-crafted FPS experience worth picking up today.

The world is well-imagined and the aesthetics are perfection, but the fact they’re all built around an absurdly fun first-person shooter makes this a game you absolutely need to play.

It's hard to hit a home run with a debut title, but Fumi Games managed to knock it out the park with Mouse: P.I. For Hire. The perfect mix of slapstick rubber hose esthetics and dark humored action make for an enjoyable trip through the vast, corrupted town of Mouseburg. Minor bugs and glitches are the only mouldy spots on an almost perfect wheel of cheese, one that Fumi sometimes oversalts with "cheesy" one-liners and dialogue.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire features a gumshoe worth his salt. Every time I'd sit down to play it, I'd have a huge smile on my face, just like it was waking up to watch cartoons on Saturday morning (albeit a lot more violent). This game is an elite boomer shooter with witty writing, wonderful characters, and an affinity for the rubber-band style that's, sadly, been left behind by today's animation houses.

With a simple yet effective progression system, a power fantasy combat loop, and passionate attention to detail, Mouse P.I. For Hire is easily one of the best titles of 2026. It reminds me of just how much joy a single-player first-person shooter can bring when it fires on all cylinders.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is un-brie-lievable. Somehow, the lofty ambition they presented in 2023 has been surpassed by an excellent release. This spunky noir shooter is exactly the kind of game I wanted, and it's so much fun to play I might just start it again. Don't sleep on MOUSE; this is a premium and ingenious game in an indie package.

Mouse: P.I. for Hire is absolutely excellent. The presentation is stellar, with graphics that accomplish their goal of creating an interactive version of a 1930s cartoon. The soundtrack is good enough to convert players into fans of big band jazz. The shooting and platforming feel right, while the game clocks in at the right length. For fans of both shooting and action in general, Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a must-have title.