Mouse P.I. For Hire: retro aesthetic shines, but the combat doesn't hook; see how it runs on Steam Deck

The Mouse P.I. For Hire review highlights its 1930s animation, noir narrative, and Steam Deck performance, with tips for stable 60 FPS gameplay.

Overview

Mouse P.I. For Hire received an evaluation from developer PlaySide and arrives with a captivating aesthetic, featuring rubber hose-style animation that harkens back to 1930s cartoons. The noir story follows Jack Pepper, a private investigator caught in a web of interconnected cases.

Aesthetic and narrative

The art is the big draw: personality elevated by fluid animation, expressions, and subtle humor. The 1930s setting, varied environments, and encounters with the voice cast — including Troy Baker as Jack Pepper and Camryn Grimes as Tammy Tumbler — help maintain an engaging atmosphere. Even with criticism regarding the style in certain environments, the whole package works well within the theme.

Gameplay and combat

At its core, the game is a shooter that takes the player to various locations filled with gunfights. At your disposal is an arsenal that mixes classic weapons, such as a pistol and shotgun, with unique options like the acid shooter. The gameplay encourages movement and strategy, with level design that favors mobility.

However, the combat doesn't always impress: enemies can be relatively resilient and weapon swapping isn't very fast, which sometimes breaks the rhythm. The healing mechanic, where Jack drinks a bottle to recover health, is open to criticism due to its duration, reminding players that games like DOOM use items that are collected and heal instantly. Even with beautiful animations, the package is described as solid, yet not very memorable.

Progression and items

There is a simple weapon progression based on three "tears" — upgrades are obtained through schematics. The first upgrade unlocks an alternate fire mode; the second and third increase damage and magazine capacity. The difference is visible, for example, the pistol which goes from four to few shots to eliminate enemies after upgrades. Not all weapons gain upgrades easily: schematics are relatively rare, which can make upgrading more time-consuming and subject to exploration missions that don't always reward the effort.

Additional content

Beyond the main campaign, there are side missions that involve finding items and returning them to those who requested help. Small optional diversions, such as the baseball card game and token collecting, serve as a break between stages and help obtain virtual currency.

Steam Deck performance

On desktop installation, Mouse P.I. For Hire uses medium quality by default with 40 FPS. This level already delivers a pleasant look and smooth gameplay for most situations. Tests indicate that going up to 60 FPS is feasible with simple adjustments, maintaining a good experience.

The guide recommends keeping settings on Medium with a fixed 40 FPS as a stable baseline. For those looking for 60 FPS, it is worth increasing the framerate, reducing shadows to low, and adjusting the render scale to 0.9. In some sections, there are frame drops, especially at specific angles, but most of the game remains stable with this setup. Even so, using lossless scaling doesn't offer major visual gains and can introduce input latency.

Conclusion

Mouse P.I. For Hire is a solid shooter with a stunning aesthetic and an engaging story, but the combat can feel generic and might not keep the player hooked for long periods. The expressive animation and cast help maintain interest, and the game works especially well on Steam Deck, with the possibility of 60 FPS via adjustments. The evaluation is based on the PC version.

Final summary: the experience is good and visually captivating, but the replay factor depends on how important it is for you to have combat that stands out among great shooters.

Our content is based on the review of the work for PC, available at Steam Deck HQ. Let us know in the comments: do you prefer the retro aesthetic or do you value memorable combat more?

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