I wasn’t paying attention to Mouse: P.I. For Hire much pre-release, but when I saw multiple people on my Steam list buy it, I became curious. Discovering that it blended a 1930s cartoon aesthetic with elements of boomer shooters and immersive sims together made me pre-order it on Steam. It was around this time that developer Fumi Games revealed a Nintendo Switch 2 physical release with the game on card, and the timing lined up for me wanting to review it. Having finally played and tested Mouse: P.I. For Hire across three different devices, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it has a few issues holding it back, especially on Switch 2.
Mouse P.I. For Hire has a violent noir narrative that fits its aesthetic, given the genre. It is also full of mouse puns (and mouse controls on Switch 2). You play as Jack Pepper who is a private investigator for hire (as the name suggests). Since this is a story-driven experience, I don’t want to spoil anything, and while Mouse: P.I. For Hire isn’t the first game to try and tell a detective noir story with animals acting like humans, it manages to do it better. This also carries over into how it blends in different genres of gameplay. Nothing is revolutionary, but how Fumi Games delivers it all is what elevates Mouse: P.I. For Hire quite a bit.
It is full of unique environments, loads of battle arenas (some that feature too many enemies for the game’s own good), and excellent voice acting. The opening hour is a bit slow, but Mouse: P.I. For Hire gets into the groove and peppers you with traversal and weapon unlocks as you plow your way through loads of enemies. Given the setting, I was a bit surprised at how much Jack kills, but I will never complain about that once I get into the groove in a good shooter.
I’ve seen Mouse: P.I. For Hire referred to as a boomer shooter quite a bit. It does have those elements when it comes to its weapons, ammo, and other items, but it also brings in elements of immersive sims in its detective-focused gameplay sections with some puzzles. It also does not focus on its gameplay as much as boomer shooters do. That isn’t to say that Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a bad game, for how it blends genres. I just don’t want those who enjoy games like DUSK and AMID EVIL purely for the gameplay to get the wrong idea here. If you’ve enjoyed old school first-person shooter gameplay and think a detective noir story on top with light exploration, upgrades, and more.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire’s aesthetic absolutely carries the game despite some issues I will touch on a bit, but Patryk Scelina’s jazz soundtrack is superlative. It brings everything together alongside the voice acting. These two elements really make Mouse: P.I. For Hire feel like a much bigger budget production. I’m glad the developer actually delivered a solid first-person shooter as well here. There’s more to this game than just a pretty face.
Switch 2 codes were not available pre-release while they were on other platforms. This meant I started playing from launch day, and I decided to wait a bit before I review it in case some of the performance issues are addressed. It unfortunately has not been patched to sort out the issues I ran into. Mouse: P.I. For Hire already has a conservative resolution and frame rate target on Switch 2 compared to even Xbox Series S, and it fails to meet those targets consistently.
Before getting to the frame rate, Mouse: P.I. For Hire has some visual issues that are noticeable right from the get-go. Objects on tables in the early hours look quite jagged, and shadows have issues. With an aesthetic like this, one would think they don’t matter, but it really gets distracting when you see shimmering while moving. All of these are very noticeable if you play on a 4K display with the PS5 version or even a 1440p display with the Switch 2 version docked. Right now, the best visual experience on console is playing the PS5 version in quality mode (60 frames per second) on a PS5 Pro if you play on a 4K TV or the performance mode (120 frames per second) with VRR on a 1440p display.
To be clear, Mouse: P.I. For Hire even has performance issues on base PS5, but it targets much higher resolutions and frame rates in both of its modes. When the spec sheet was posted, I was a bit confused at how it mentioned only 40 frames per second for Steam Deck, but a 60 frames per second option for Switch 2 and even a 120 frames per second for Series S. Having now played it on Switch 2 docked, Switch 2 handheld, Steam Deck, PS5, and even PS5 Pro, I can now see that those specs are targets on the console side. The Switch 2 delivers a competent but not perfect handheld experience, but it still needs patches to address the performance issues in both modes.
While Mouse: P.I. For Hire on Switch 2 has performance issues, I appreciate the mouse control addition. They work well, and you can seamlessly switch between using traditional split Joy-Con 2 as controllers or mouse controls. I would’ve liked to see motion/gyro controls added since basically every first-person shooter of note has them on both the original Switch and Switch 2.
Without gyro support and with the unstable performance, I ended up preferring the game on Steam Deck since I could not only enable gyro with Steam Input, but also use the right trackpad for better aiming. The OLED screen also helps with the game’s aesthetic. Hopefully it sees updates to address performance issues and potentially even improve visuals.
I would’ve liked Mouse: P.I. For Hire a lot more had it been a bit shorter, but that isn’t a huge issue. I just wish it did more with its immersive sim or boomer shooter elements. This might seem like nitpicking, but I truly believe Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a few updates away from something incredible. In its current state, it is a fantastic first release, but one that is held back by technical issues on Switch 2.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire should’ve been shorter, but I still really enjoyed my time with it. The Nintendo Switch 2 port definitely needs more time in the oven because of the performance issues and delayed updates compared to other platforms. I will revisit the game once it gets patched on Switch 2 to address some of the performance issues and potentially add gyro controls.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by PlaySide
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