Mouse: P.I. For Hire Review - Black Ink, Blacker Hearts
I sit here, looking over the achievements after having the credits roll in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire wondering if I might be the worst detective in the history of gaming. The game has three main cases to solve, and according to the game I have not solved a single goddamn one of them. I felt like I was doing well, but maybe I ended up with the default “you suck” ending. Only time will tell.
Mouse: P.I. has you play as the detective Jack Pepper, first aiming to solve the disappearance of a famous magician. Each mission is only a small part of the overarching case, and plays out as an FPS. The detective part of the game is fairly light on, mostly collecting evidence in levels and putting it on the clue board. The overarching mystery was still enjoyable to me, an almost Columbo-esque style of inverted detective story, where you know roughly who the villain is and you need to place the pieces together to pin the crime on them.
One of the first things you’ll likely note is just how much style the game has. You’ll have to choose your audio degradation, between base, then vinyl style all the way down to phonograph cylinders. I cannot express how much I adore this. The soundtrack is mainly classic jazz-style songs, but mixes in variations on the “Jack’s Theme” leitmotif. Other times, it’ll mix in classical songs and other styles to fit the scene. It’s a very good soundtrack, and will likely make its way into my collection at some stage.
Visually, it’s clearly inspired by noir detective stories, as well as 1920-1930 animation. Some might baulk at the idea of monochrome styling, but in truth it works wonderfully well with the theme. Even the weapons and characters are designed with a Fleischer Studio styling, bopping back and forth as they move. It’s all done with rubber hose animation in mind, and really immerses you in the vibe. There’s so much care taken for the music and animation that it’s honestly quite impressive.
As you investigate each of the cases, you’ll drive to the location you have a lead for. Each of these locations are single-use, collectable filled set-pieces. Each is quite unique in its style (and thus, music), and the bigger maps usually have a boss at the end to deal with. There’s plenty of shooting to be had, and there are puzzles in many maps to offset the action. Enemies are varied, going from your standard goon, to giant beefy brutes to small flying shrews. Thankfully, you’ve got a slew of weapons at your disposal to handle them, and environmental effects via heavy objects that can be shot down and dropped on enemies and barrels to kick or throw at them. I didn’t find the game particularly difficult on the standard difficulty, but there’s also loads of checkpoints/manual save points. Each level takes around 20-30 minutes, probably even less if you’re not actively looking for collectables. Many of the levels also have side jobs which can be completed for people in the main hub. They’re small, mostly, but it’s a bit more to do in each area.
The secret areas in each map mainly boils down to newspapers, which give a bit more context to the world, as well as blueprints for upgrading your weapons via the B.A.N.G. system, baseball cards, and figurines. Baseball cards play into a card game diversion you can play at the hub, where 35 wins gives access to a special reward. The card game goes from really difficult at first, to painfully easy when you get more cards. Maybe for the best, as you need to get a lot of wins. I wish each level gave you an idea of how many secrets could be found, or how many collectables. As it is currently, you have no way of returning to those areas again after you leave, so any completionists will need to either have amazingly sleuthing abilities to sniff out all the secrets, use a guide, or have a second playthrough to get everything. There’s no new game+ mode either, so you’d be starting from scratch.
Every character is voiced in the game, but I think Jack Pepper takes the cake. You do hear from him a lot, but his tired quips about the goings on are extremely enjoyable. Troy Baker’s voice lends some added gravel and grit, which really works for the world-weary detective. I won’t say any of the lines are objectively funny, more humorous in just how dry they are. It’s perfect for Jack.
The campaign took me around 12 hours to complete, as I said in the intro, I don’t think I actually really solved a case. The mysteries around the case are very good, and lead in directions I did not expect in the slightest. The writing for the cases reminds me of one of my favourite film directors, Guy Richie. If you know, then you know. I’d be keen to see if the story changes based on evidence found, or if you’ll always end up at the same spot, a la L.A. Noire or even films like Chinatown.
Despite being the worst detective in history, I had a lot of fun with Mouse: P.I. Whilst I wish I knew what I missed from levels, and maybe that the game had a new game+ for mopping up things, it’s still a fun and surprising romp through 1920-30 animation, music and noir detective fiction. Everyone working on the game clearly put so much love into the experience that it’s hard not to marvel at the craftsmanship on display. It’s all a bit silly, even in its most serious moments but that’s half the charm.
Mouse P.I. For Hire was reviewed on PC with a code kindly provided by the publisher.
