Video game development, 3D rigging and animation, and pixel art. I like to think that I'm a funny guy. Sometimes I post my work here, especially fandom-related stuff.
I was going to post this on Steam, but the thing is, I had been playing with my sister's copy, and Steam doesn't let you post reviews for games that aren't in your own library. So... I'm just gonna post it here instead.
Have you ever heard of DOOM? As in the hit shooter from 1993 that can run on almost any computer imaginable? Of course you have, don't lie to me, you're only hurting yourself.
Anyways, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is basically DOOM, except instead of playing as a badass soldier going on a rampage across Mars and through Hell to save Humanity from a demonic incursion, you play as a hard-boiled detective (who also happens to be a former soldier) in the 1930s, fighting against hordes of cartoon mice in order to solve a mystery.
If you're intrigued solely by the detective angle, then prepare for disappointment; The detective fluff only serves as juxtaposition for the gameplay. Personally, I don't think that's a bad thing. Unless you're a games journalist, the story is exactly what it needs to be. It's also Jack Peppered (heh heh) with gags and references that I found to be very amusing.
The art direction is phenomenal. As you can tell by the screenshots and the trailer on the Steam Store page, it nails the look of a 1930s Mickey Mouse cartoon. And if you want that EXTRA layer of authenticity, you even have the option to apply varying levels of visual and audio filters to make it look and sound like… well, a 1930s cartoon. Hm. That wasn't the best way of putting it. You know what, I'm just gonna move on.
So, how's the actual gameplay? In short, very good. Very fun.
There's a wide variety of weapons to collect over the course of 15-20 hours of playtime, and all of them are very fun to use. My big issue is that, with so many weapons to choose from, it can get overwhelming at times. There are 12 different weapons available to you, including the pistol you start with, two different shotguns, a Tommy gun James, a bag full of dynamite, an acid gun, a few other guns that I'm not going to spoil here, and if all else fails, your own bare fists. That all sounds fun, but if you're stupid like me, you'll likely resort to primarily relying on one or two weapons, and then only falling back on the others when you run out of ammo.
What's worse, some of these weapons are bound to the same key on your keyboard, so you'll have to press the same button again to cycle through and find the weapon you want. This is especially egregious with the three weapons bound to the '5' key. One of them, I got very late in the game, and I had to press '5' three times in a row to get it, which I deemed to be "too much work," and so as much as I wanted to use it, I kinda forgot about it.
And before anyone says, "Crat, you can press the 'Tab' key to open the Quick-select menu and then you can get the weapon you want, easy!" Do keep in mind - I am an old-fashioned idiot who simply does not like quick-select menus for no real reason, I am in the middle of a firefight, and I want to press a single button to get the weapon I want NOW.
But the absolute biggest crime that this game has commited? It does not allow you to go back and replay levels that you've previously cleared. Missed a hidden collectible? Forgot to do a sidequest? Your options are to either (a) load a previous save, (b) start a new game from the beginning, or (c) cry about it. The devs have stated that they're looking into adding some replay functionality, but… is it REALLY that hard to add a "replay level" button?
All of that said, MOUSE is a fun and very enjoyable game that is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. If it at all looks interesting to you, I'd highly recommend it. Go. Go play it.
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