Combining vintage Nineteen Thirties “rubber hose” animation, explosive gunplay and an unrelenting caricature international, MOUSE: P.I. For Rent is shaping as much as be a in point of fact distinctive deal with – however there’s a lot more to this recreation than first meets the attention.
In a while after pronouncing a March 19, 2026 unencumber date, we had been handled to a deep dive into the sport on the ID@Xbox Exhibit, without delay from the builders at Fumi Video games in Warsaw, Poland. You’ll watch the entire deep dive under, or learn on to determine all of the new main points we discovered alongside the way in which:
“Extra Than Simply an Previous-school Shooter”
If there’s something to remove from nowadays’s documentary, it’s that MOUSE: P.I. For Rent is excess of only a unfashionable shooter in even extra unfashionable clothes. Whilst at its core the sport is a first-person shooter (extra on that later), there are extra layers of gameplay than you may suppose.
For a get started, the principle persona – conflict veteran-turned-private investigator, Jack Pepper – is not only working and gunning thru the entire recreation. From the start, Jack is gifted with now not only one, however 3 separate instances to resolve, each and every of which is able to take him around the town of Mouseburg to get to the bottom of their secrets and techniques.
Each and every case calls for you to each take down enemies for your means and likewise to seek out clues – whether or not the ones are bodily gadgets, knowledge discovered through chatting with NPCs, and even pictures you may take. Clues can then be taken to a vintage string-adorned corkboard in Jack Pepper’s place of work, situated within the HUB, the place each and every piece of proof should be positioned in the proper position to liberate new revelations and locations.
With a spread of ranges to discover, this recreation is not only a easy Level A-to-Level B shooter.
The Hub
On the core of all that sleuthing and exploration is the sport’s hub international, which is ready more or less in the course of the town of Mouseburg. The hub comprises 3 key places: Jack’s place of work, the native pub, and Tammy’s workshop. However there’s extra right here than only a sequence of menus. NPCs be offering conversations with tidbits and clues, guns will also be upgraded on the workshop, and minigames supply avid gamers with extra gameplay studies. When you’re able to depart, heading to the following stage is as simple as leaping into Jack’s automotive and using around the gorgeous overworld map of Mouseburg in your subsequent firefight.
Cool animated film Fight
MOUSE: P.I. For Rent’s fight attracts on vintage shooters like DOOM and BioShock, with some added touches to verify gunplay stays contemporary all the way through. With a philosophy of “difficult however amusing”, you’ll be pitted towards waves of enemies and acquire a whole arsenal of caricature guns, from the anticipated (like a Tommy Gun) to a lot more “experimental” firearms (image a mind in a jar that fires psychic waves, with devastating penalties).
Maximum weapons additionally include an upgradable alt-fire mode, requiring you to gather weapon schematics over the process the sport. However beware – enemies will see adjustments too, with further varieties and variants being offered as you dive deeper into the arena.
And besides, bosses would possibly even throw in complete new mechanics of their very own! We even noticed a ghost-like creature named the 3rd Spouse, which calls for you to weaken her with a flashlight prior to you’ll be able to get started pumping lead.
Making the Previous the Long run
And, in fact, the cheese within the room – we want to speak about how this recreation appears to be like. Whilst environments are rendered in 3-d, each unmarried persona, enemy, UI part and weapon has been painstakingly hand-drawn in 2D and animated to resemble the vintage Nineteen Thirties “rubber hose” animation. The way in which the entirety on the planet bounces, stretches, and bends is a tribute to that particular caricature artwork taste (even guns proceed to bop and wiggle when Jack stays desk bound). As you need to believe, this has taken a huge quantity of labor from Fumi Video games, reinforcing how a lot of a hard work of affection each unmarried body of this recreation is for the staff.
So as to add to the problem, MOUSE: P.I. For Rent is totally in black-and-white, which needed to trade how Fumi approached conventional recreation and stage design. While maximum video games can use color to assist information avid gamers, Fumi wanted to succeed in that purpose thru use of sunshine and animation, giving all the recreation an overly distinctive glance from a participant’s viewpoint. Even right here, we’re seeing a tribute to vintage cartoons, with interactable gadgets dancing in position, ready so that you can to find them.
And to finish that tribute to the previous, we even discovered that Fumi has added customizable audio filters to the sport! You’ll make a selection to play with extra crisp and “blank” tune, or upload degradation and different filters to assist the entirety sound as though it’s being performed from an old-school phonograph cylinder. This consideration to element – and to how avid gamers would possibly wish to revel in the sport – is obvious throughout the entirety Fumi has touched.
Mouse: P.I for Rent involves Xbox Collection X|S on March 19, 2026.
MOUSE: P.I. For Rent
PlaySide
MOUSE: P.I. For Rent is an action-packed first-person shooter that pulls inspiration from the vintage cartoons of the Nineteen Thirties. Its black and white rubber hose visuals are drawn through hand, body through body, turning in a putting antique aesthetic. Resolve layers of corruption with an exhilarating noir-fueled detective tale, vigorous environments to discover, an unique giant band jazz soundtrack, and a fully-loaded arsenal of caricature guns and devastating power-ups.
DEADLY INVESTIGATIONS
Meet Personal Investigator Jack Pepper, a former conflict hero-turned-detective in a global the place risk lurks even within the smallest mouse hollow. Discover the reality when a easy lacking individuals case temporarily escalates into a posh internet of intrigue, with corruption, kidnapping and homicide all at the docket. Examine the seedy underbelly of Mouseburg, fight closely armed gangs and crooked police officers, and uncover clues to expose the conspiracy buried beneath the outside.
LOCK, LOAD & LAUGH
From crackling device weapons to explosive firepower, each and every weapon in Pepper’s arsenal is designed to deploy continuous caricature chaos. Arm your self with an array of vintage, creatively twisted and experimental firearms, and eat robust upgrades when you want that further spinach-loaded punch! Deadly encounters and manic boss battles watch for on this boomer shooter-inspired, retro-vibed journey – and the denizens of Mouseburg by no means move down and not using a battle.
A CITY OF SECRETS
Discover a various town playground, from darkish streets to vintage movie studios, opulent opera structures, toxic swamps and underground sewers. With a myriad of instances to resolve and collectibles to seek out, Mouseburg is in point of fact a detective’s pleasure! Use each software at your disposal to wall-run, grapple-hook and double-jump thru this unrelenting caricature international.
FEATURES
– Black and white, hand-drawn rubber hose animation, encouraged through cartoons of the Nineteen Thirties
– Fast paced FPS fight, the place consistent motion is essential
– An exciting single-player marketing campaign that unravels a posh internet of crime and corruption
– Over 20 noir-infused ranges, teeming with mice, rats and shrews
– Absolutely-loaded arsenal of over a dozen distinctive guns and kit – with a caricature twist
– Devastating consumable power-ups, able to turning the tide of any fight
– Unlockable motion talents and Metroidvania-inspired stage traversal
– Authentic jazz soundtrack, that includes a large band orchestral ensemble
