Mouse P.I. for Rent on Nintendo Change 2 assessment: a neat boomer shooter let down by poor efficiency

Mouse P.I. for Rent has brought on fairly the stir because it was revealed by Polish developer Fumi Video games a few years again. Its rubberhose animation model, Doom-inspired boomer shooter gameplay, and Mickey Mouse-esque forged of characters helped it to face out within the indie scene, and it’s already loved a wholesome dosage of constructive reception from critics and gamers alike.

So, once I acquired the possibility to attempt it out on Nintendo Change 2, it’s protected to say I used to be fairly excited. Enjoying detective in a noir, rodent-filled world sounds fairly attractive, proper? And on condition that I had some long-haul flights up forward, going with the Change 2 version to mouse round on the go felt like a no brainer.

However simply how good is Mouse P.I. for Rent on Nintendo Change 2? And does the indie title nail the boomer shooter method and Nineteen Thirties cartoon aesthetic? Right here’s what I feel after greater than 20 hours with the sport.

Say hiya to my little buddy

Welcome to Mouseburg, the place the cops are extra crooked than an outdated shrew’s tooth, the ‘cheesehibition’ brings unrest, and the stench of crime lurks on nearly each nook. For personal investigator Jack Pepper — a struggle hero and former police officer — thriller awaits, with the circumstances of a lacking magician, a murdered mouse, and a shrew-trafficking ring all drawing his consideration.

You’ll need to snoop round Mouseburg, shoot by way of your foes, dig round for clues, and resolve these key circumstances, which can or is probably not interlinked. It’s a enjoyable premise for positive, and though the sport is fairly linear, this ensures that the thriller is paced fairly properly.

In relation to the investigative features, Mouse P.I. retains issues comparatively easy. Throughout numerous places, you’ll stumble throughout clues — equivalent to misplaced notes or images — and be tasked with pinning them up at Jack’s workplace. Right here, he’ll be capable of ponder proof, resolve leads, and resolve what motion to take.

As a participant, you’re not in a position to give a lot private enter into the investigation course of — a lot of it unfolds earlier than your eyes as Jack discusses his findings. It might’ve been fascinating to see some a number of selection choices or to suppose up correlations between items of proof, however personally, I used to be comfortable for the sport to take a extra agile, easy method.

Aside from the principle story, you’ll be capable of tackle facet gigs, like gathering information for Jack’s journalist ally Wanda, or finding substances for his bar-owner buddy John Brown. The rewards for these aren’t all the time large, however getting some further cash to purchase newspapers and comedian books, in addition to baseball playing cards required for a easy bar sport, is all the time welcome.

The principle factor to debate, nonetheless, is the sport’s fight. It is a first-person shooter that wears its inspirations on its sleeve. The boomer shooter method is executed very properly, with fast-paced, brutal, and chaotic shoot-outs that really feel thrilling to blast by way of. There is a little bit of platforming combined in too, which feels surprisingly sharp — and equally forgiving, as falling will merely respawn you from the place you left off.

My solely concern with Mouse P.I.’s rodent-packed shoot-ups is the unlucky lack of enemy range. Throughout the sport’s approximate 20-hour run time, you may encounter the identical foes over and over, which turns into a bit uninteresting within the latter levels. There’s the occasional odd creature or robotic sprinkled in, and the bosses supply some problem, but it surely feels just like the Devs might’ve given your enemies extra weapon varieties and extra distinctive seems to be relying on the world you are in.

For Pepper, nonetheless, issues are a bit totally different. He is given a neat collection of weapons to wield towards his opponents, together with the James Gun (a playfully named Tommy Gun), the Boomstick (a shotgun), the Unfastened Cannon (a cannonball shooter), and extra. The James Gun is definitely essentially the most dependable, and it makes a number of areas simple to tear by way of, however there’s a tough mode if you wish to check your abilities.

As a participant, you too can select to play with a controller, with an ordinary handheld setup, or with…ahem…mouse controls. The latter genuinely works fairly properly, though I want the consolation of utilizing a Change 2 Professional Controller, personally. One factor I’ve seen a number of gamers lament, nonetheless, is the shortage of gyro, which is packed into a number of rival first-person shooters, and it might’ve been nice to see right here.

A step down on Change 2

I have been fairly constructive about Mouse P.I. for Rent thus far, and I genuinely suppose it is a sport that followers of video games like Doom Everlasting will love. However we’re wanting on the Change 2 model particularly at present, and on this platform, the sport runs into far too many technical points.

The largest concern for this title is its unreliable body fee. With the Change 2 docked, Mouse P.I. is focusing on 1080p at 60fps (frames per second) in efficiency mode and 1440p at 40fps in high quality mode. In handheld, it is 900p at 60fps and 1260p at 30fps, respectively. That is already not essentially the most spectacular, in spite of everything, that is hardly essentially the most demanding sport on the market. However Mouse P.I. nonetheless struggles to succeed in a few of these figures.

The worst offender is Efficiency mode. In handheld mode, the sport has fixed body drops, which could be pesky throughout fight conditions and a little bit of an immersion killer throughout exploration. Issues are a bit higher in docked, however I nonetheless skilled frequent drops, even when visiting areas just like the kitchen by the bar.

Positive, issues are a bit steadier in high quality mode, however there are nonetheless occasional drops, and the decrease body fee simply would not lend itself very properly to the fast-paced, fluid nature of Mouse P.I.’s gameplay.

On prime of this, I found different technical oddities, like menus scrolling with out me urgent any buttons (it doesn’t matter what controller I used), overlong loading screens, and even a crash once I was mid-mission.

Do not get me mistaken, Mouse P.I. for Rent remains to be playable on Change 2. As irritating as these points are, the port remains to be workable, and I used to be in a position to push by way of the pesky body drops to recover from the road. Apparently, there’s a patch within the works to deal with a number of the sport’s efficiency points, which is a constructive signal, though I would argue that it ought to’ve performed smoother from launch.

Having stated this, there’s nonetheless quite a bit to like about Mouse P.I. for Rent. Its story is fairly participating, and the characters are voiced to absolute perfection. Sure, not all the jokes about cheese land, however utilizing it as an alternative to alcohol in the course of the prohibition period actually provides to the Nineteen Thirties setting.

The rubberhose animation model can be stellar, and fits the noir vibe to a T. In the identical means that Cuphead charmed audiences years in the past, Mouse P.I. for Rent thrives off its charismatic, frantic, and generally weird animation. Oh, and that is to not point out the soundtrack, which options jazz hits from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, in addition to some iconic classical tunes.

All in all, then, Mouse P.I. for Rent on Nintendo Change 2 leaves me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I would argue it hits a number of the appropriate beats on the subject of gameplay, narrative, and visible model. However then again, I’ve to say, the sloppy efficiency was a little bit of a let down, and makes this particular model of the sport harder to suggest. And that is the place I am at: Mouse P.I. for Rent is a largely gratifying, fantastically animated boomer shooter — however in case you personal one other system, like a PS5 or PC, I would avoid the Change 2 model, except there is a main repair rolled out, that’s.

Must you play Mouse P.I. for Rent?

Play it if…

Do not play it if…

Accessibility options

There are a good few methods to customise your expertise in Mouse P.I. for Rent. As an example, there are three problem ranges, you’ll be able to both toggle or maintain down R3 to crouch, you’ll be able to flip blood results off, and you’ll remap controls to your liking. On prime of this, you’ll be able to alter sensitivity, digicam controls, intention help ranges, and even visible results, like depth of subject. Subtitles are additionally out there, and you’ll decide from a wide selection of textual content languages.

How I reviewed Mouse P.I. for Rent

I spent greater than 20 hours taking part in by way of Mouse P.I. for Rent, throughout which period I accomplished the principle story, completed a bunch of facet quests, and tried nabbing as many collectibles as I might.

More often than not, I performed the sport in handheld mode on my Nintendo Change 2, utilizing the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones to listen to in-game audio. Nonetheless, I did play the sport docked sometimes, and had my system linked as much as the Sky Glass Gen 2 tv and Marshall Heston 120 soundbar.

Extra usually, I’ve reviewed a bunch of titles right here at TechRadar gaming, together with all the pieces from Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Darkish Ties by way of to Kirby Air Riders.

First reviewed April-Might 2026