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<\/p>\nCombining classic 1930s \u201crubber hose\u201d animation, explosive gunplay and an unrelenting cartoon world, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is shaping up to be a truly unique treat \u2013 but there\u2019s much more to this game than first meets the eye.<\/p>\n
Shortly after announcing a March 19, 2026 release date, we were treated to a deep dive into the game at the ID@Xbox Showcase, directly from the developers at Fumi Games in Warsaw, Poland. You can watch the full deep dive below, or read on to find out all the new details we learned along the way:<\/p>\n
\u201cMore Than Just an Old-school Shooter\u201d<\/p>\n
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If there\u2019s one thing to take away from today\u2019s documentary, it\u2019s that MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is far more than just a retro shooter in even more retro clothing. While at its core the game is a first-person shooter (more on that later), there are more layers of gameplay than you might think.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a start, the main character \u2013 war veteran-turned-private investigator, Jack Pepper \u2013 is not just running and gunning through the whole game. From the beginning, Jack is presented with not just one, but three separate cases to solve, each of which will take him across the city of Mouseburg to unravel their secrets.<\/p>\n
Each case requires you to both take down enemies in your way and also to find clues \u2013 whether those are physical objects, information learned by talking to NPCs, or even photographs you might take. Clues can then be taken to a classic string-adorned corkboard in Jack Pepper\u2019s office, located in the HUB, where each piece of evidence must be placed in the correct place to unlock new revelations and destinations.<\/p>\n
With a range of levels to explore, this game is not just a simple Point A-to-Point B shooter.<\/p>\n
The Hub<\/p>\n
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At the core of all that sleuthing and exploration is the game\u2019s hub world, which is set roughly in the middle of the city of Mouseburg. The hub contains three key locations: Jack\u2019s office, the local pub, and Tammy\u2019s workshop. But there\u2019s more here than just a series of menus. NPCs offer conversations with tidbits and clues, weapons can be upgraded at the workshop, and minigames provide players with more gameplay experiences. Once you\u2019re ready to leave, heading to the next level is as easy as jumping into Jack\u2019s car and driving across the beautiful overworld map of Mouseburg to your next firefight.<\/p>\n
Cartoon Combat<\/p>\n
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MOUSE: P.I. For Hire\u2019s combat draws on classic shooters like DOOM and BioShock, with some added touches to ensure gunplay remains fresh throughout. With a philosophy of \u201cchallenging but fun\u201d, you\u2019ll be pitted against waves of enemies and collect an entire arsenal of cartoon weapons, from the expected (like a Tommy Gun) to much more \u201cexperimental\u201d firearms (picture a brain in a jar that fires psychic waves, with devastating consequences).<\/p>\n
Most guns also come with an upgradable alt-fire mode, requiring you to collect weapon schematics over the course of the game. But beware \u2013 enemies will see changes too, with additional types and variants being introduced as you dive deeper into the world.<\/p>\n
And to boot, bosses might even throw in whole new mechanics of their own! We even saw a ghost-like creature named the Third Wife, which requires you to weaken her with a flashlight before you can start pumping lead.<\/p>\n
Making the Past the Future<\/p>\n
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And, of course, the cheese in the room \u2013 we need to talk about how this game looks. While environments are rendered in 3D, every single character, enemy, UI element and weapon has been painstakingly hand-drawn in 2D and animated to resemble the classic 1930s \u201crubber hose\u201d animation. The way everything in the world bounces, stretches, and bends is a tribute to that distinctive cartoon art style (even weapons continue to dance and wiggle when Jack remains stationary). As you could imagine, this has taken an enormous amount of work from Fumi Games, reinforcing how much of a labor of love every single frame of this game is for the team.<\/p>\n
To add to the challenge, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is entirely in black-and-white, which had to change how Fumi approached traditional game and level design. Whereas most games can use colour to help guide players, Fumi needed to achieve that goal through use of light and animation, giving the entire game a very unique look from a player\u2019s perspective. Even here, we\u2019re seeing a tribute to classic cartoons, with interactable objects dancing in place, waiting for you to find them.<\/p>\n
And to complete that tribute to the past, we even learned that Fumi has added customizable audio filters to the game! You can choose to play with more crisp and \u201cclean\u201d music, or add degradation and other filters to help everything sound as if it\u2019s being played from an old-school phonograph cylinder. This attention to detail \u2013 and to how players might want to experience the game \u2013 is clear across everything Fumi has touched.<\/p>\n
Mouse: P.I for Hire comes to Xbox Series X|S on March 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
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