MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is easily one of the most enjoyable FPS experiences I've played in a long time. From the moment I started playing, it was obvious that this isn't just another shooter — it's a game made with an incredible amount of passion, personality, and love for classic gaming and pop culture.
The first thing that really impressed me was the references and easter eggs. There are so many packed throughout the game that I constantly found myself stopping to appreciate them. You have references to GTA: San Andreas, Scarface, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Blood, 007, Star Wars, and plenty of other games and movies. Some are obvious, while others are hidden in dialogue, locations, names, posters, missions, and little details that you might completely miss if you're not paying attention.
The GTA: San Andreas reference genuinely made me laugh, and seeing references to games like Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid was such a great surprise. Then you have movie references like Scarface and James Bond, which fit perfectly with the game's detective/noir atmosphere. It really feels like the developers had a massive list of things they loved and somehow managed to turn all of those influences into something that still feels like its own unique game.
And then there's the gameplay.
The shooting is fast, responsive, and satisfying. The weapons feel great, the movement works perfectly with the old-school FPS design, and the combat constantly keeps you moving. It has that classic boomer-shooter feeling while adding its own personality through the cartoon aesthetic and detective gameplay.
The boss fights are another highlight. They don't just feel like regular enemies with a massive health bar — they actually have their own identity and make you approach the fights differently. Some of the encounters were genuinely memorable, and the presentation makes them even better.
I also have to mention the music and sound design. The soundtrack fits the 1930s cartoon/noir setting incredibly well and adds so much atmosphere to every level. There were several moments where I found myself just enjoying the music while running through the level. It gives the game a personality that a lot of shooters simply don't have.
The visual style deserves huge credit as well. The combination of rubber-hose animation, classic cartoons, noir, and first-person shooter gameplay sounds like it shouldn't work as well as it does, but somehow it works brilliantly. Everything feels consistent, from the characters and environments to the weapons and animations.
What I appreciate most is that MOUSE doesn't take itself too seriously. It's constantly throwing jokes, references, weird characters, secrets, and surprises at you. There's always that feeling that if you look around a little more or listen carefully to a conversation, you're going to discover something ridiculous.
You can tell that the developers genuinely love the games and movies they're referencing. These aren't references thrown in just for the sake of saying "Hey, remember this?" A lot of them are integrated into the world in really clever ways.
Overall, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire exceeded my expectations. Great gameplay, fantastic boss fights, an excellent soundtrack, a unique art style, tons of secrets, and an absolutely ridiculous amount of references to classic games and movies.
If you're a fan of classic FPS games, boomer shooters, old-school cartoons, noir, GTA, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Blood, James Bond, Scarface, or just games packed with easter eggs, this is absolutely worth playing.
Easy 10/10 from me
