What is Mouse PI for Hire? (Cuphead Meets Metroid Prime?)

What is Mouse PI for Hire?

When Mouse was first teased, it looked like nothing more than a prototype of a game that might not make it to the finish line. A prototype that seemed to take perfect advantage of the timing of the expiration of the copyright of the most famous Mouse in the most extreme way possible.

The art style that was reminiscent of Cuphead and the rubber hose animation that defined the 1920’s and 1930’s was enough to capture attention. Our initial assessment was that Mouse: PI for Hire looked interesting, but also looked like a shallow attempt to capitalize on popular trends including the genre and aesthetic.

However, the more that the studio shows and talks about the game, the more it might have some substance to go with its style and isn’t just a “Boomer Shooter that looks like Cuphead”

Mouse-Troidvania Prime?

On Podcast Beyond, the game director and lead producer came by to talk about their upcoming game and it sounds like one of the main inspirations for Mouse: PI for Hire is Metroid Prime. Talking about what was the most important direction for the game, they discussed having very good gunplay, but talked about combining FPS with many Metroidvania elements including abilities, upgrades and backtracking. The ultimate goal for the team is to have something that feels both familiar and fresh.

Gameplay will be a mix of level types from linear to branching with the main idea to offer something that doesn’t feel repetitive. The game features 3D environments and 2D art, which they said posed many challenges, but they are extremely proud of how it turned out.

In the latest trailer, we can see a few of the abilities in action including using your tail as a grappling hook, but they also discussed how you could use your tail like a helicopter, as well as more traditional genre skills like double jump, plus the many more to discover. Considering you are using your tail, which you will have from the beginning for some of these abilities, it will be interesting to find out how you learn to use it for better exploration.

Story progression will help Jack unlock new skills and abilities, but this can also be done through side quests and venturing off the beaten path as a way to reward the player that wants to see what the world has to offer.

With an animation style inspired by classics such as Popeyes, Betty Boop and Felix The Cat, you play as WW1 veteran mouse, Jack Pepper. After the war, Jack Pepper has transitioned from ordinary police officer into private investigator for hire in the pulpy noire story about mobsters, dirty politicians and a conspiracy to take over America.

Mouse: PI for Hire will be available in different difficulty levels depending on what you are looking for, whether than be just experiencing the story or as the devs put it a “punishingly difficult” hard mode.

Before leaving the podcast, the team said it's very tempting to release something for everyone to try, but only when the experience is fully polished. Hopefully this means a demo will happen sooner than later, so keep your eyes open for that and as for release date, I would assume mid 2025 to early 2026 if we are being realistic.