Sign in to your Polygon.com account Mouse: P.I.

For Hire is the answer to a question nobody was asking, but should've been: What if Steamboat Willie were a classic first-person shooter? That answer, as it turns out, is a delightful, whimsical adventure through a cartoon, noir-fueled environment, where people are mice and there's a mystery afoot.

All of that is slowly unraveled as you, a private investigator rodent, dive into the shady deals and discover clues to tie everything together.

And even though the shooting element — what you'll spend most of your time doing — doesn't blow the roof off, the complete package makes this an innovative, rambunctious romp that you won't forget in a hurry.

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Image: Fumi Games/PlaySide via Polygon The story unfolds in the fictional town of Mouseburg, home to an ex-copper turned rent-a-P.I.

named Jack Pepper.

Looking into the unintended disappearance of a magician, a conspiracy of bent cops, shrew trafficking, and a murdered Tinseltown star sends Pepper to an opera, a riverboat party, the sewers, and more — each animated location teeming with character and personality.

And cheese, because from your brie to your blue, there's a hell of a lot of cheese puns.

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Immediately, one element makes Mouse: P.I.

For Hire distinguishable from the crowd: the art style.

The entire game is in greyscale, and every character, weapon, and otherwise interactable object is 2D, much like some of the earliest cartoons from the 1920s and '30s.

It's striking, bold, and somehow, it works.

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There were pre-release concerns online around visibility of enemies and items of note with such a palette and artistic design, but after almost finishing the game, I haven't encountered that issue once.

Image: Fumi Games/PlaySide via Polygon Troy Baker plays the protagonist and, as you'd expect from gaming's most famous voice, every single line is delivered with outstanding gusto and authenticity ## Editor's Note This announcement has sparked considerable discussion among gamers. Source: [Polygon](https://www.polygon.com/mouse-pi-for-hire-review/)