Mouse: P.I. for Hire is the kind of fun video game miracle of making wild ideas into reality. What started as a throwaway "what if" post on social media about a first-person shooter styled like a classic Betty Boop-era cartoon has turned into a full video game I saw being played in front of me at Summer Game Fest -- and the gumshoe gunplay game is due out later this year.
In Australian publisher PlaySide's private booth tucked into a corner of the Summer Game Fest grounds in Los Angeles, I sat down with the game's lead producer Maciej Krzemień and game director Mateusz Michalak of the Poland-based Fumi Games while the former played through a level that will be in the final game.
The first-person shooter combat, detective gameplay and story were a delight to behold in the game's signature black-and-white cartoon style -- along with the icing on the cake, hearing famed gaming voice actor Troy Baker speak as protagonist Jack Pepper. It also gave me an idea for the flow of the game, which follows the titular private eye Pepper in his investigation, and is split between replayable levels (more on that later).
Dripping with noir staples of cops, crime, loyalties and betrayal, the writing and story set the stage just as much as the period music and film grain visual filter. For a Polish studio, the game leans into the distinctly American side of noir; Raymond Chandler's works were prime inspirations for the game's story and vibe, and the team's narrative leads consulting historical research to make sure the language fit with gamer expectations.
"Obviously, we are not Americans ourselves. We wanted to get a good grasp on this entire style of detective noir stories, but with some light-hearted elements to it," Krzemień said.
Fumi Games
My preview was an early part of the game and opened up at an opera house, where Pepper was trying to track down his old friend, a magician tied to the case he's investigating. Barred from entry to the opera, Pepper has to sneak in through the kitchen, giving players the option to pay off a line cook or sneak in through the vents.
But we got a moment to peek through the window to engage with a detective mechanic: using a camera to gather clues, which gives you insight into the case and the big players who may have a hand in what seems like a growing plot -- one that Pepper will chart on a conspiracy board at the hub players visit between missions. You can hunt through levels, taking photos that will even open up sidequests, or just keep running and gunning.
Fumi Games
"Without spoiling anything, there is a bigger conspiracy behind it all, and it's all pretty serious in terms of social topics, social themes of the game, and it actually reflects the political climate of the world back in the 1930s -- and not only in America," Krzemień said.
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