What if Disney had made Doom 100 years ago? And what if, instead of a grizzled marine, it starred a noir-tinged hardboiled detective that also happens to be a mouse named Jack Pepper? That's the wavelength that Mouse: P.I. For Hire from developer Fumi Games and publisher PlaySide is working on. None of this should exactly be news to many people – the trailers for the game have previously gone some level of viral – but actually sitting down and playing Mouse: P.I. For Hire on the Nintendo Switch 2 during GDC 2026 is a bit like seeing the magic come to life for myself.
It's somewhat funny that the various trailers for Mouse: P.I. For Hire lean so heavily on the noir 1930s-style animation rather than the actual gunplay mechanics and movement. Having played for myself, I'm much more impressed by the latter than the former. Maybe this has to do more with the fact that I've seen this style of animation replicated to some degree in other genres more than anything, so nailing the visuals here doesn't feel shocking, but replicating the feeling of playing the likes of Doom within it does.
