Most likely Mouse: P.I. for Hire has caught your attention for its 1930s black and white animation style, hand-drawn in the “rubber hose” style. but the game aspires to be much more What a pretty face. We play the title in this exclusive coverage of the month for IGN First—, today specifically we delve deeper into its incredible cartoon arsenal and its combat inspired by the classic shooters of the boomer era.
The developers at Fumi Games told us: “The main combat gameplay is based on a ‘Always on the move’ approach, encouraging players to keep constantly moving to survive.”
Added to this are environmental dangers, such as freezing, fire and exploding barrels, that can be used against you or in your favor. Additionally, there are ammo and health scattered around the environment, which encourages exploring more. And you won’t be a tank: just a few hits can put the hero Jack Pepper in serious trouble.
Meanwhile, a basic skill set y unlockables It will help you always keep moving, such as sliding, lunging, double jumping, pipe crawling, kicking, wall running and wall climbing, along with your multi-purpose tail which, throughout the campaign, can be used to pick locks, spin as a propeller and as a grappling hook.
The power-ups will also add fun to the video game at all times, such as:
- Spinach (think Popeye).
- Coffee (activates Cuphead-style finger guns that fire rapidly).
- Chillies (damage bonus + cadence increase + fire damage).
- Cheese (health buff that you can activate whenever you want).
But let’s go to the stars of the show combat: weapons (you can see several in the gif gallery above). There are eleven in total, starting with your fists if you run out of ammo, although you’ll probably never use them if you have another option.
These are the weapons of Mouse: PI for Hire that we have tested
Going up in power, the Micer pistol is what you would expectalthough it has an alternative burst fire. For its part, your Boomstick delivers a short range blow, with load/reload option for alternative firing.
Things get more interesting and unique with the Devarnisher, who melt the skin of your enemies in the style Roger Rabbit, thanks to the turpentine balls it shoots. Its alternate fire is a larger mass that explodes and affects more enemies. The James Gun is a Tommy gun that prevents enemies from attacking, and its alternate fire is a spray of bullets.
He Kiss Kiss is a double barrel shotgun which adds fire damage thanks to its explosive cartridges. Its alternate fire is a larger explosion with area effect.
He Jar Headon the other hand, shoot waves of psionic power that stun and eventually eliminate enemies, in addition to having an area effect. His alternate beam attack is especially powerful if you aim for the opponent’s head.
The rest of the arsenal begins with the Portable Frieza, which fires a cold ray that slows down and eventually Freeze enemies in place, allowing you to destroy them. Its alternate fire launches fast snowballs.
Lastly, the Hellrazor is a chainsaw that hits enemies with fire damage if it hits them with the wave. His alternate fire is a traditional chainsaw that you don’t want to hit you with.
And finally, the D-namite can tear down certain walls and floors, in addition to tearing enemies to pieces. In short, I can’t wait to try all of these toys. Mark March 19, 2026 on your calendar, as that is the date Mouse: P.I. for Hire will be released for PC (Steam), PlayStation, Xbox y Nintendo Switch.
Previously we showed you exclusive gameplay of the video game and the official trailer by IGN Fan Fest of the fall 2025 edition.
