MOUSE: P.I. For Hire ▶ Trailer
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire screenshot 1MOUSE: P.I. For Hire screenshot 2
ActionIndieFPSCartoonyDetectiveBoomer ShooterNoir

88 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 224

Peak in the last 7 days: 300

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Steam store

Game description

Join private investigator Jack Pepper on a guns blazing, jazz-fueled adventure in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. MOUSE combines the charm of hand-drawn rubber hose animation inspired by the classic cartoons of the 1930’s with the adrenaline and action of an explosive first person shooter.

Basic info

DeveloperFumi Games
PublisherPlaySide
PlatformsWindows
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateApr 16, 2026
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 10 64-bit
ProcessorIntel Core i3 8300 / Ryzen 3 2200
Memory12 GB
GraphicsGeForce GTX 960 / Intel Xe 2 Graphics / Radeon RX 580
Storage11 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 446 reviews from the past 1 year

86.6/ 100
Top 30%

Steam rating: Very Positive (94%)

Metacritic: 80 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 25, 2026)

Rubber hose cartoon looks meet fast shooting in this noir detective game, which scores 86.6, top 30% of games we analyzed.

👍 Strengths

Visuals & Sound ranks 56th of 1249 and comes up in 83% of analyzed reviews. 242 reviews praise the hand drawn art style and lively old school animation, and some say it fits the noir theme perfectly. 54 say they love it and find it a fun ride, and a few call it a contender for their game of the year. 36 highlight the sound, praising the voice acting, sound effects and a jazz soundtrack that sets the mood. Story & World ranks 558th of 1096, and Tech & Support ranks 134th of 1399.

👎 Where it falls short

73 reviews find it repetitive, pointing to limited enemy variety and levels that start to blend together. 25 say the gun feel is weak, with little impact or feedback when shots land, and a few miss certain weapons or ultrawide support. 20 raise difficulty issues, with some finding it too easy even on hard and a few reporting motion sickness from the fast movement. Gameplay ranks 681st of 1396, and Content Volume ranks 841st of 1351.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“hand-drawn animations and stylistically unique visuals praised” · 242 reviews
“loving the game after 7.5 hours” · 54 reviews
“controller customization with extensive aim and control settings plays very well” · 24 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 57% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Controls & feel +1.77 · Responsiveness, precision, and how the menus handle
Positive “controller customization with extensive aim and control settings plays very well” · 24 reviews
Negative “missing revolver weapon and Cold Stream Gun feels like wasted arsenal slot” · 25 reviews

Progression 14% · Difficulty 20% · Onboarding 8% · Freedom 18% · Strategy 22%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 69% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

World +3.56 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “laid back and chill vibe with cool story” · 19 reviews

Story 52% · Characters 20%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 48% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +2.01 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “abundant content and gameplay variety” · 5 reviews
Negative “overstayed welcome, could have cut half the fights” · 7 reviews

Variety 37% · Replayability 15%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 83% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +4.42 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “hand-drawn animations and stylistically unique visuals praised” · 242 reviews

Audio 53%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 0% of reviews mention this.

Community — · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly

Playing together 0% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 19% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.27 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “three weapons overwhelmingly powerful, discourages experimenting with arsenal” · 15 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 10% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 22% of reviews · Top 10% of the games we've analyzed

Performance +0.20 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Positive “runs well on low-end hardware including Steam Deck” · 3 reviews
Negative “FPS drops in bigger spots with high enemy counts” · 7 reviews

Stability 12% · Developer support 5%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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