Mouse: P.I. For Hire arrives as a genre-blending first-person shooter from developer Fumi Games, combining a 1930s cartoon noir aesthetic with shoooter and immersive-sim elements.
Released across PC and consoles, the game was made available on Steam and on contemporary consoles including PS5 and Xbox Series S, and Fumi Games announced a physical Nintendo Switch 2 release on game card.
Composer Patryk Scelina's jazz-inflected score and strong voice work are recurring highlights in reviews of the title.
In reviewing Mouse: P.I. For Hire across multiple platforms, the author noted they did not follow the title closely before launch but purchased it on Steam after seeing several peers play it.
That curiosity led to playing the game on Steam Deck, PS5 (including PS5 Pro), Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
The review copy for the Nintendo Switch 2 version was provided by publisher PlaySide, and the published assessment assigned a 7/10 overall score.
Gameplay and presentation
Mouse: P.I. For Hire casts players as Jack Pepper, a private investigator in a violent noir tale populated by anthropomorphic characters and frequent mouse puns.
The reviewer praised Fumi Games for executing the noir-animal conceit more effectively than many prior attempts, and for blending boomer-shooter mechanics — weapons, ammo management, arena combat — with lighter immersive-sim elements such as detective-focused exploration and puzzle sections.
Voice acting and Patryk Scelina's soundtrack were singled out as production values that lift the experience beyond its indie roots.
Platform performance and technical issues
The review highlights platform differences with specific technical observations.
On Nintendo Switch 2, the game targets conservative resolution and frame-rate figures but fails to maintain those targets consistently.
Visual artifacts noted include jagged geometry on small objects and shimmering shadows, which become more evident when the Switch 2 is docked on a 1440p display or when playing the PS5 version on a 4K TV.
On consoles, the reviewer found the PS5 Pro delivered the most consistent visual experience, with quality-mode performance cited at 60 frames per second for 4K output and a 120 frames-per-second performance mode working well with VRR on 1440p displays.
Base PS5 and Xbox Series S versions also showed platform-specific compromises.
The Steam Deck offered a favored handheld experience for this reviewer thanks to Steam Input gyro support, the right trackpad for aiming, and its OLED display.
Controls and missing features
The Nintendo Switch 2 build includes the option to use mouse-style controls and supports split Joy-Con input, but the review pointed out the lack of native motion/gyro support on Switch 2 — a feature common to many first-person shooters on Nintendo hardware.
The reviewer said they preferred the Steam Deck implementation for its gyro and trackpad flexibility.
Conclusion
Overall, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is praised for its aesthetic, audio design, and hybrid gameplay approach, but the Switch 2 port currently suffers from performance inconsistencies and visual issues that hold back the experience.
The reviewer concluded that the game is a strong first release from Fumi Games and worth revisiting after future patches, assigning a 7/10 score for the version tested on Nintendo Switch 2.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by PlaySide
Author: Mikhail Madnani
Released across PC and consoles, the game was made available on Steam and on contemporary consoles including PS5 and Xbox Series S, and Fumi Games announced a physical Nintendo Switch 2 release on game card.
Composer Patryk Scelina's jazz-inflected score and strong voice work are recurring highlights in reviews of the title.
In reviewing Mouse: P.I. For Hire across multiple platforms, the author noted they did not follow the title closely before launch but purchased it on Steam after seeing several peers play it.
That curiosity led to playing the game on Steam Deck, PS5 (including PS5 Pro), Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
The review copy for the Nintendo Switch 2 version was provided by publisher PlaySide, and the published assessment assigned a 7/10 overall score.
Gameplay and presentation
Mouse: P.I. For Hire casts players as Jack Pepper, a private investigator in a violent noir tale populated by anthropomorphic characters and frequent mouse puns.
The reviewer praised Fumi Games for executing the noir-animal conceit more effectively than many prior attempts, and for blending boomer-shooter mechanics — weapons, ammo management, arena combat — with lighter immersive-sim elements such as detective-focused exploration and puzzle sections.
Voice acting and Patryk Scelina's soundtrack were singled out as production values that lift the experience beyond its indie roots.
Platform performance and technical issues
The review highlights platform differences with specific technical observations.
On Nintendo Switch 2, the game targets conservative resolution and frame-rate figures but fails to maintain those targets consistently.
Visual artifacts noted include jagged geometry on small objects and shimmering shadows, which become more evident when the Switch 2 is docked on a 1440p display or when playing the PS5 version on a 4K TV.
On consoles, the reviewer found the PS5 Pro delivered the most consistent visual experience, with quality-mode performance cited at 60 frames per second for 4K output and a 120 frames-per-second performance mode working well with VRR on 1440p displays.
Base PS5 and Xbox Series S versions also showed platform-specific compromises.
The Steam Deck offered a favored handheld experience for this reviewer thanks to Steam Input gyro support, the right trackpad for aiming, and its OLED display.
Controls and missing features
The Nintendo Switch 2 build includes the option to use mouse-style controls and supports split Joy-Con input, but the review pointed out the lack of native motion/gyro support on Switch 2 — a feature common to many first-person shooters on Nintendo hardware.
The reviewer said they preferred the Steam Deck implementation for its gyro and trackpad flexibility.
Conclusion
Overall, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is praised for its aesthetic, audio design, and hybrid gameplay approach, but the Switch 2 port currently suffers from performance inconsistencies and visual issues that hold back the experience.
The reviewer concluded that the game is a strong first release from Fumi Games and worth revisiting after future patches, assigning a 7/10 score for the version tested on Nintendo Switch 2.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by PlaySide
Author: Mikhail Madnani
