At every Summer Game Fest, at least one game catches your attention because of how left-field it is. Thankfully, Summer Game Fest 2025 was no different, mainly due to Playside’s Mouse: P.I. For Hire. The game is a melting pot of multiple genres, including First-Person Shooters, classic animation, and more, to create something unique.
During Summer Game Fest 2025, MonsterVine was invited to a hands-off preview, where we saw the game in action, including renowned video game actor Troy Baker as the voice of the Mouse himself.
A Steamboat-Worthy Art Style
While watching the game play out in front of me, one of the first things I noticed was the art style. It’s very clear that Disney’s Steamboat Willie inspired it. This is evident in how each character moves and expresses themselves. And the way it blends 2D and 3D natively in its game was a nice cherry on top.
Play It Your Way
Another thing that caught my eye during the demo was how interactive the world is. When players are tasked with completing a goal, they can do it in several different ways. During my demo, the player decided to go through the vents and broke one of the tubes while attempting to reach their objective. The funny part about this was that it didn’t alert any guards. Instead, it caused all of the workers to shout and make fun of him. This was especially enjoyable because everyone in the game talks as if they were in a 1950s radio play.
The game truly started to shine when the action got started. Seeing various guns, such as a Shotgun, a Pistol, and a Tommy Gun, all in the Steamboat Willie art style, was something I never thought I would see. But thankfully, I now know what that looks like, and it looks great. Even though a lot of the combat involves you running through hallways and shooting up people, it didn’t really feel good. A lot of the time, it was predictable when a fight was about to start and where they would be coming out of. That said, it was still enjoyable to watch because combat has several layers that add depth and shake things up.
For instance, while playing, you can dash around and avoid bullets/bombs that are coming your way. And if someone gets too close to you, there’s an option to kick them, which will create some space to use some of the game’s joke weapons. Although we were only able to see one, this gun was essentially an Ink Remover, and whenever someone was shot at it enough, the player would melt their skin away until they were nothing but bones.
More Than Just a Shooter
When you’re not in combat, there’s plenty of stuff for you to discover, such as collectible baseball cards that can be used in mini-games, in-game money hiding in corners, and a neat little lock-picking system that I think players will enjoy.
One of the things I really appreciated was how well the music captured the mood. When you’re not in combat and looking for clues, it’s very noir and does a great job of making you feel as if you’re a detective in the 50’s. But when you’re in combat, that quickly changes. Instead, it’s very fast and upbeat, similar to Cowboy Bebop, and plays out a lot of its action scenes. It’s fast jazz, and it compels you to move as quickly as possible.
Everything I saw from Mouse: P.I. For Hire was nothing less than great. The game has a great sense of humor, doesn’t take itself too seriously, features a fantastic art style, and has just as good combat. It has a lot going for it, and I’m eager for its full release.
Mouse: P.I. For Hire is scheduled to come out in 2025 and will be playable on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
