- Publisher: PlaySide Studios , Fumi Games , PlaySide Publishing
- Release Date: Apr 16, 2026
- Also On: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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May 3, 2026MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has a great, unique rubberhose aesthetic, which does a lot of heavy lifting for the game. The DOOM-like mechanics are solid, albeit they do very little to differentiate the game from others in the series, and the balance is toned down to the point where even a newcomer to the genre should have an easy time progressing on the hardest difficulty. It isn’t a bad game in the slightest, but it relies a little too much on its visual uniqueness and doesn’t impress me much mechanically.
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Apr 25, 2026Mouse: P.I. For Hire might not be the most subtle detective in the game, but he certainly has style, and sometimes that’s all it takes to make a difference.
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Apr 17, 2026Generic boomer shooter gunplay and a stretched-out runtime could be make this a cold case for some, but the incredible rubber hose aesthetic and entertaining noir setting should help see most detectives through to the end.
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Apr 15, 2026P.I. For Hire is an exhilarating, vibes-thick shooter shaped by the developer’s love for classic animation. Its sleek rubber hose animation and Steamboat Willie-inspired illustration makes it a stunner, and this is coupled with frenetic gun fights. Its noir tale, however, is reduced to basic tropes, and you won’t really be doing much investigation as a detective.
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Apr 14, 2026Mouse is an enjoyable and visually stunning shooter with just enough uncapitalized potential to make me mourn what could have been. It looks amazing, the music is spectacular, the voice acting is top-notch, and it feels great to play in the moment, but its unwillingness to put up even a semblance of challenge is its biggest downfall. I’d still very easily recommend it, but sticking it on the hardest difficulty is almost a requirement.
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Apr 15, 2026On paper, its target audience would seem to be tech-savvy 60-year-olds who worshipped Ub Iwerks on Usenet in 1994. The reality, though, isn’t that cynical.
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Apr 14, 2026Mouse: P.I. for Hire nails the aesthetics of both the 1930s cartoons and the detective stories that inspired it, and it’s also an amusing boomer shooter that largely feels good as you’re playing it. But its haphazard marriage of noir storytelling tropes and shooter gameplay are often at odds with each other in uncomfortable ways that weaken both aspects, and the writing is so busy making references to other things that it’s actually painful to sit through at times. This FPS is solid enough if you just want to blast some cartoon mice and not think about it too hard – but once you do, all you’ll see are the seams where disparate ideas have been fused together, and no trenchcoat can hide the stink of that moldy cheese.
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Apr 14, 2026Mouse: P.I. For Hire is beautiful and has a beautiful soundtrack. It's the rest that gives me pause.
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Apr 14, 2026Mouse: P.I. For Hire shows a deep love for animation of the era, but the gameplay and script lack the same level of care. A Gouda attempt, but nothing bleu me away. Cheesy in all the wrong ways.
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| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
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Apr 20, 2026Mouse: P.I. for Hire had a strong premise back when it was just a viral tech demo, yet it far exceeded our expectations by the time we got our hands on it. It's your average boomer-shooter with almost the exact same arsenal as Doom, except its level design is as charming and imaginative as its bosses, the performance is superb and there's just so much genuine well-doing in every little nod an piece of animation. If you're a hardcore quick-swapping speedrunner you might find it a bit 'meh' but other than that you will love it like it's a friend. [Recommended]
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Apr 14, 2026A few late-game difficulty spikes, some heavy-handed story elements, and a few lackluster weapons hold back Mouse: PI For Hire a bit, but it’s still an incredibly creative, inventive, unique, and action-packed FPS that mixes classic cartoon animation, noir cliches, and satisfying gunplay into something that is unlike any shooter I’ve played before.
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Apr 14, 2026Mouse: P.I. For Hire isn't flawless, and it certainly isn't going to test your mettle as a challenging shooter (which, consequently, means it's much more approachable for non-FPS players), but it's worth playing for the vibes alone, even if the combat feels a little one-dimensional at times. From the fantastically groovy audio design in the jazzy soundtrack, sound effects, and voice acting across its diverse, larger-than-life characters, to the visually stunning rubber hose animation and hand-drawn levels, Fumi Games has outperformed all expectations. Everyone should play Mouse: P.I. For Hire, because it absolutely deserves to mouse its way into the awards rat race come the end of the year.