Don't sleep on 'MOUSE: P.I. For Hire,' a new and fantastic boomer shooter on Xbox — Mickey Mouse, it ain't!

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire drops you page first into the wildly drawn world of Mouseburg. A 1930s-style detective flick meets old-school artistry. You play as Jack Peper, a grumbly ex-cop and war veteran turned private investigator.

The whole city is infested with rodent-driven crime, full of shady deals, cheese-smuggling, and corrupt politicians. Straight from the comics, Jack is on a crime-solving spree to clean up his town and bring peace to his neighborhood, which is nestled quietly in the slums.

Pepper’s adventure launches with a fairly standard missing persons case; a magician has gone missing. Chaos ensues, and nothing gouda comes of it. As gang violence, kidnapping, and the fat-rodent herself come singing, Jack faces down an over-the-top cartoon noir story.

If you’re into one-liners, video-game meta jokes, and cheesy puns, then you’d cheddar believe you’re in for a grate time.

Mouse: PI for Hire is a boomer shooter with Cuphead-styled 1930s flair - YouTube

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Gameplay-wise, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a slick showcase of fundamental linear shooting mechanics. While you’ll never find yourself aiming down the sights of a weapon, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better rotation of weapons for a game that feels like a steal at $30.

Combat feels brie-lliant, and nothing demonstrates that better than the weapons of Mouseburg. From simple pistols to face-to-cheese-melting-goo guns, you’ll have an entire arsenal of weapons that each come with their own unique secondary firing mechanic and upgrade path. All of which can be upgraded thanks to careful exploration of the rather open-linear levels.

There are so many guns that when it comes down to the holey-mess of combat, you’ll be bleu in the face trying to keep your options straight. On PC and controller, you can call up the “cheese” wheel of weapons to swap between. With a hot-swap button dedicated to switching between your current and last gun.

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On PC, you’ll be able to swap using the number keys, or if you’re like me, an MMO mouse with 12 buttons. Once you get the swing of swapping, you’ll be pumping enemies full of swiss-like holes in style.

Even the bosses are fun, all with unique abilities that will push your gamer skills to their limits. Platforming, dodging, and other mechanical nuance-based bosses will keep every encounter fresh. Many of which will look stunningly different, even in black and white.

Every area Jack Pepper visits is unlocked through simply playing the story. Not only are most areas unique, but they can also be visited more than once. Miss an item, and you can always come back to play through the area again, unlocking extra upgrade materials or even clues you might have missed that can help solve cases.

There are tons of things to love when it comes to this game, but the artwork is its gratest asset. Strikingly gorgeous even with the absence of color.

Absolum: $29.99 at xbox.com

A brie-lliant experience from start to finish, MOUSE: P.I. for Hire stands out as one of the most charming games I’ve played in years. Its sharp shooting mechanics and witty, pun-filled dialogue kept me aging for more, and I can’t wait to uncover every secret it has to offer.

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You can choose your own style, so to speak, by tweaking both picture and volume settings to give MOUSE: P.I. For Hire a more modern or old-fashioned look. Regardless of what something looks like or how it sounds, you’ll always find yourself back in the office working a case.

Back home, Jack Pepper has a giant clue board to place all the found clues and attach them to the mystery they’re involved in. If Jack doesn’t know how the clue relates to any given case, he’ll save them for later use by placing them in their own area.

As I eluded to earlier, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire rewards players who take an extra moment to look around rather than pressing forward to the next cheese-shredding area full of enemies. A wall here, a switch there, or an extra-special look over at a somewhat dubious-looking platform could lead you to precious materials that will help increase your damage output against the mold of Mouseburg.

Along with weapons, combat, and story, MOUSE: P.I. For Hire wouldn’t be the terrific noir-driven story without its stellar voice acting. While I can’t say every character is on equal footing with others, for the most part, every voice feels distinct and incredibly well played.

For $30, I would have expected the entire game to have been text-driven, but I couldn’t imagine playing this game without the fully voiced cast. This game wouldn't be the same without it, and I couldn’t be happier that it exists.

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MOUSE: P.I. For Hire isn’t trying to be the next big AAA blockbuster. It’s a charming, clever, atmospheric detective game that respects your intelligence and rewards creativity. With a decently long story, I can’t believe how relatively cheap it is. In a world of $70 games, $30 titles with this much content will always get a nod of approval from me.

If you’re tired of basic shooters, open-world sandboxes, or yet another fantasy tale, do yourself a favor and give this one a shot. It might be the biggest surprise title this year!

I went in looking for that all-too-obvious charm, and came out with an even greater admiration for the craft. The depth of MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has so far surpassed my expectations, and I can’t wait to dive into it even more.

Allow me to appeal to your cheddar judgment and say, play it! You won’t be disappointed!

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