Mouse: PI for Hire preview - one key feature could make this a genuine GOTY contender

GTA 6 is finally coming our way in 2026 and it's already looking nailed on to be the Game of the Year - but there's a certain mouse that could have something to say about that...

While the Rockstar Games title will dominate headlines, Mouse: PI for Hire is coming our way very soon and it might just throw a noir-inflected spanner in the works.

It's a game I've been waiting very impatiently to try out ever since it was announced. Its unique identity and style is something that really resonated with me and made me think this could be something very special if executed well.

Mouse: PI for Hire is a first-person shooter with hand-drawn rubber hose animation inspired by the style of classic 1930s cartoons that's entirely in black and white. It focuses on noir-inspired detective gameplay complete with a jazz soundtrack.

Before loading up the game, I couldn't help but feel that if Fumi Games nails this, it could be a genuine Game of the Year contender.

And after being hands-on with it for an hour and playing through one of the levels, it very much could be - mostly because of that one key feature of having such a unique identity that's so well realised and immersive.

To note, I played through this preview of Mouse: PI for Hire on PC on a Acer Predator Helios 16 AI with Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU and 32GB of RAM.

Mouse: PI for Hire is shaping up to be a Game of the year contender / Fumi Games & Playside Studios

The mission I played seemed to be a quarter of the way or so into the game (according to the numbered collectibles I managed to find anyway) and, as main protagonist Jack Pepper voiced by the brilliant Troy Baker, I had to find and infiltrate a laboratory.

Jack is in search of clues to find Steve Bandel, a missing magician who is also a friend of Jack's.

It starts off with a light platforming section with a handful of enemies to take out and, already, the grin starts growing on my face. That's because it looks and feels amazing to play straight off the bat.

Gameplay is fast and snappy with pretty tight but uncomplicated controls. Running and gunning is a key factor as you cannot aim down the sights of your gun.

You also don't have to press a button to pick up items you find in the world - this is done automatically for you, helping to maintain the pacing.

You have an arsenal of weapons which you build as the game progresses. In this preview, I got to try out the pistol, shotgun, machine gun, 'Devarnisher' (which shoots acid) and dynamite as I progressed through the lab and they all felt great to use. You find ammo in the world by taking out enemies and kicking down boxes.

Character animations are brilliant too, the stop-motion is superb and it's incredibly satisfying defeating enemies, especially when you land a headshot and heads explode leaving a stump of spine in its wake before the character's body then slowly falls to the ground.

When you use the Devarnisher, enemies dance around before melting into oblivion too. When throwing explosive barrels at enemies, they can catch on fire before their bodies and bones turn into ash.

This all may sound quite gnarly but in black and white stop-motion, it's not gut wrenching in the slightest and is actually quite comedic which feels key for maintaining that level of immersion through its identity.

It's moments like these that elevate Mouse: PI for Hire. Even things like the reload animations for each weapon are individually brilliant.

Some of the enemy death animations are very cartoony and comical / Fumi Games & Playside Studios

To note, not all of the animations are stop-motion - characters are portrayed in this way but environments, resources you can find in the game and bullets firing for example are much smoother.

The HUD shows a compass at the top, your objective in the top left, your health in the bottom left along with shortcuts for items such as eating cheese to restore health and your bullet counter in the bottom right.

There's no minimap and the display doesn't feel cluttered in the slightest, which is key so you can enjoy the visual feast that is Mouse: PI for Hire.

I'm not saying the graphics specifically are groundbreaking but its distinct and unique style makes it so good to look at and play through.

And it's not just visuals this applies to.

From the chapter I played, an accompanying 1930s soundtrack joined me. The cartoon aspect is really well realised too with things like a 'boing' playing when you perform a double jump, a whistling sound playing when you drop down through a trap door or the sound of a bell ringing when you KO an enemy using your fists.

The voice acting is stellar too, making me feel like I was in 1930s America with characters having deep accents that don't sound out of place or forced.

The game's performance never wavered either, which helped to keep my immersion throughout the level.

The supporting cast of characters looks promising / Fumi Games & Playside Studios

Some characters are incredibly goofy and the interactions you have are nothing short of memorable. Each one has its own distinct characteristics and the way you can speak with them is a joy, particularly because of how well Troy Baker does as Jack Pepper, but the supporting cast more than pulls its weight too.

It's quite refreshing there isn't too much handholding either, while there are objective markers the game doesn't just tell you how to get from A to B.

You have to figure it out for yourself and with most games nowadays guiding you every step of the way, this forces you to actually engage your brain and think about how to do something, especially as there are puzzles that you need to solve or hidden features to discover to progress.

It's not just in navigating this applies to either - there are boss battles which force you to work out what to do in order to defeat them. There's an element of trial and error to some of this which makes it feel refreshing.

On navigation and exploration, you can go off the beaten track to find collectibles, useful resources and safes, which feature small puzzles in themselves to crack. There are plenty of crucial coins to be found too.

This whole gameplay loop is incredibly fun and satisfying.

The only slight concern I have at the moment is enemy variety. There were three different versions of what was essentially the same boss even though I had to take it down in three different ways.

Mice are the main enemies you encounter which use different weapons to try and take you out - but the only different ones I encountered in terms of the challenge they presented me was that some have shields which mean you need to take them out from behind.

I encountered robots too but these basically presented the same challenge as the mice. They felt like I was taking out the same opponent in different skins.

Now I've only played one level so this won't paint the whole picture but I do hope there is an increase in enemy variety and challenges going forward.

You also navigate between different levels in an over-world, the kind you'd usually find in a classic JRPG, by driving your car. This was a nice surprise when it came to driving back to my office after completing the level.

At your office, you can upgrade equipment and talk to other characters that offer side quests. This section is set on the street where your office is based and it looks as though more of it may open up as the game progresses.

Mouse: PI for Hire's unique identity really shines through / Fumi Games & Playside Studios

So far, I've been thoroughly impressed with my time with Mouse: PI for Hire.

The game's unique identity doesn't just make it stand out from a visual point of view but it also captures a level of immersion I've not experienced in a very long time.

It feels as though Fumi Games really has thought of everything when it comes to this.

If Mouse: PI for Hire can keep up that level of immersion and stay feeling fresh by maintaining its brilliantly unique identity as the hours go on, then this could be a genuine Game of the Year contender.

Mouse: PI for Hire releases on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch and PC on 16 April.

Elsewhere from indy100:

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