Mouse P.I. for Hire Brings Noir Cartoon FPS to Life

Mouse: P.I. for Hire is the video game equivalent of a wild sketch becoming reality. What began as a playful social-media concept—a first-person shooter drenched in Betty Boop-era cartoons—has evolved into a fully realized title you can’t wait to play. Fumi Games and Australian publisher PlaySide teamed up to deliver a noir detective story in crisp black and white, complete with film-grain filters, period music, and a heavyweight cast.

Bringing Classic Animation to FPS

Getting that authentic 1930s look meant rethinking shaders, outlines, and motion cues. Backgrounds have a subtle blur, while interactive elements—like barrels and save spots—jump or bounce to call attention. Players can toggle on or off film grain, and an optional wax-cylinder audio filter wraps you in the era’s aural charm.

• Custom outline shaders highlight interactive objects
• Optional film-grain and audio filters for full immersion

Gameplay Mechanics That Pop

Mouse: P.I. balances classic shooter tropes with detective twists. You’ll sneak through kitchen vents, snap photos of clues to unlock sidequests, and revisit replayable levels on a conspiracy hub. It’s BioShock-style weapon wheels and old-school platforming secrets—all wrapped in punny gags and hardboiled intrigue.

• Photo-gathering detective mechanics that drive the narrative
• Weapon wheel with pistol, shotgun, Tommy Gun and signature cartoony reloads
• Nimble platforming and tail-grapple secrets for replay value

Narrative & Voice Performance

Inspired by Raymond Chandler’s detective sagas, the story drips with betrayal, social tension, and the rise of 1930s fascism. Fumi Games consulted historians to nail the period language, then enlisted Troy Baker—Joel from The Last of Us—to voice Jack Pepper. His range brings levity and grit to every wisecrack.

Technical Insights for Developers

Porting a stylized cartoon FPS across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch demands robust pipelines and performance tuning. Custom shaders support dynamic outlines, while visual filters remain optional for lower-end hardware. Fumi’s teams optimized load times, memory budgets, and frame rates without losing that signature film-noir vibe.

• Scalable shader modules for vintage film effects
• Cross-platform performance profiling for seamless play

Why It Matters

Mouse: P.I. for Hire proves that niche art styles can thrive in modern engines. It reminds us that deep technical work—shader craftsmanship, audio pipelines, and platform optimization—underpins every moment of player delight. For developers, it’s a case study in marrying vision with performance.

Coming later this year on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, Mouse: P.I. for Hire is set to surprise fans of both classic cartoons and shooter gameplay.