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Mouse: P.I. For Hire Review: A Competent Shooter Oozing With Cartoon Charm

The black-and-white Mickey-Mouse-with-a-gun game backs up its signature art style with a surprisingly mature detective yarn.

Like any foolishly hopeful gamer, I sat in the darkness of my home, booting up a game I prayed would shine bright enough to live up to its promise. A black-and-white shooter set in a city full of mice? A classic cartoon animation style? A gumshoe noir plot? The idiosyncrasies stacked like Jenga blocks, and one faulty element could send the whole tower tumbling. But isn’t that always the way in Gamer Town, where promising pitches are a dime a dozen, and few successfully pull off their daring dreams.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire, the long-awaited indie first-person shooter spawned from a post on X, is finally coming out on Thursday after years of trailers and teasers, and at a modest $30 price to boot. Though its creators from Polish studio Fumi Games insist that the game’s look is more broadly inspired by the 1930s “rubber hose” style of animation popularized by Betty Boop and Fleischer cartoons, it’s not hard to see visual similarities with Steamboat Willie, the black-and-white character that preceded Mickey Mouse. A lot of Mouse: P.I. For Hire’s appeal lies in the vintage cartoony style contrasting with violent gunfire — and after playing half a dozen hours of the game, that does make up a lot of its charm.

But it’s a pleasure to discover all the visual style overlays a fairly involved narrative riddled with classic noir elements. Players control Jack Pepper, a war hero turned hard-boiled detective whose pursuit of a missing persons case leads him from the bright lights of Mouseburg’s fine society to its seedy back alleys and dangerous criminal underbelly, uncovering a vast conspiracy in the process. 

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is packed to the gills with noir staples like a gumshoe protagonist, a femme fatale love interest, political corruption, social inequality, dirty cops and a bulletin board where our detective fills in the case clue by clue. Despite the cartoon animation and rubber hose violence, the noir is played straight; it’s clear that this is a love letter to the genre of detective fiction made famous by American fiction writers. 

In conversation with Fumi Games lead producer Maciej Krzemień last June at Summer Game Fest, the team working on the game took inspiration from stories by famed noir writer Raymond Chandler, and the narrative leads did plenty of historical research to get the period right. 

“Obviously, we are not Americans ourselves. We wanted to get a good grasp on this entire style of detective noir stories, but with some light-hearted elements to it,” KrzemieĹ„ told me.

A good chunk of the success of Pepper’s character belongs to his voice actor, Troy Baker, who delivers one-liners and exposition in gravelly tones that fit a hard-boiled detective narrating the case throughout the game. The rest of the voice cast is suitably pleasant — Florian Clare as journalist Wanda Fuller, Frank Todaro as politician and Pepper’s war buddy Cornelius Stilton, among others — giving a range of period-appropriate performances ranging from Mid-Atlantic faux-sophistication to a streetwise accent hailing from whatever New Jersey analogue they have near Mouseburg. 

The dialogue is fittingly noir, and the writing in the game is a mix of 1930s-era dark humor and groan-worthy puns (which is a good thing, I swear). Mice end the day with a long pull of stinky cheese to take the edge off, bootleggers are “cheeseleggers,” a gun modeled after the German Mauser pistol is named the Micer, and so on. 

Though the game’s soundtrack is an appropriate mix of big band and jazzy tunes, Mouse: P.I. For Hire’s commitment to evoking the 1930s extends further. An optional filters layer in film grain and gauzy blur to the visuals, as well as degrading the audio quality of the music to sound like it’s coming out of vinyl or wax cylinders. Looking and sounding more old-timey is a fun addition to the immersion.

But Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a shooting game first and foremost, and while its combat has more pros than cons, there are enough challenges in adapting its luscious animation style to 3D shooting to make it feel like a mixed bag.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is more of a joyfully immersive jaunt than a masterpiece shooter

Mouse: P.I. For Hire feels a lot like a modern version of the initial wave of first-person shooters, like Doom and Duke Nukem: Enemies enter a room the player is in, shoot from a distance or close in for melee. Like some so-called “Boomer shooters” released in recent years that evoke old-school shooter vibes with updated controls, enemies don’t have a lot of dynamic movement, leading players to trade gunfire and swap to the right weapon for the moment.

Players get an expanding arsenal of BioShock-like weapons, leaning on a pistol, shotgun and Thompson submachine gun for the grunt work alongside a delightfully novel Devarnisher gun that shoots globs of turpentine (the chemical that old school animators used to wipe away ink) to melt foes. There’s more in later parts of the game, and upgrades to boot, that make guns more useful throughout the game. 

Mouse: P.I. For Hire isn’t trying to be a cutting-edge shooter, so it’s mostly fine to get into firefights with static foes. The trouble lies in combining the game’s visual style with shooting action: Enemies look like they’ve walked straight out of a cartoon, but their gorgeously animated 2D bodies can be tough to hit in 3D space. Often, as I strafe around, I’ll struggle to hit smaller foes, and their hitbox can get a little confusing, leading me to miss some shots I thought I should hit. 

This isn’t too big a deal on the easy and standard difficulties, which are pretty forgiving, but when I cranked it up to hard mode (which you can do on the fly), the punishing damage made my unsure aim more of an issue. I stumbled here or there trying to keep my bullets landing on enemies — especially distant ones. 

While a little perplexing, it’s ultimately a minor drawback to a well-crafted experience. Mouse: P.I. For Hire is a period piece joyride, and so long as I treat the rooms full of enemies and bosses as flavor in a story, I’m far from disappointed. Not every shooter needs to be the next Portal or Titanfall 2, reinventing the genre, especially games priced at $30 that will likely last players over a dozen hours before they hit credits. 

What the game gets right is its dual commitments to its animation style and its intricate world. I’ll never get tired of watching the rubber hose-style animations of reloading guns or popping enemy heads with a close-range shotgun blast in a comically visceral burst of violence. It’s a delightful counterpart to Mouseburg, a gritty but believable city with all the characters and locales, power struggles and plot twists you’d find in any other noir. 

Early in the game, I tracked down a lead at an opera house where I foiled an assassination attempt on a politician — though it was made with an on-stage cannon that started burning the place down, and I had to fight a burly Brunhilda-clad singer miniboss to get out. The blend of gumshoe staples with cartoon logic makes Mouse: P.I. For Hire truly unique, and its Steamboat Willie look obscures that the game is deeper than it initially appears in its dedication to telling a detective story, with all of that genre’s murky twists and turns. 

“Without spoiling anything, there is a bigger conspiracy behind it all, and it’s all pretty serious in terms of social topics, social themes of the game, and it actually reflects the political climate of the world back in the 1930s — and not only in America,” KrzemieĹ„ told me last June.

So yes, it is a game where non-Mickey Mouse gets a gun, but all in the service of uncovering a mystery, fighting a rising fascist threat and hopefully getting enough cheddar to pay his debts.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire comes out April 16 for PC, Xbox One X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. 

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Travelers and Staff Thwart Co-Pilot’s Suspected Bid to Down FlyDubai Plane Bound for Israel

Passengers and crew on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv overpowered a co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, forcing an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia.

A pilot aboard a FlyDubai aircraft destined for Israel allegedly stabbed his fellow pilot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported, describing it as a suspected effort to bring down the aircraft.

Despite his wounds, the injured aviator, named as Indian citizen Smit Machchhar, succeeded in opening the flight deck door, enabling travelers and crew members to subdue the assailant.

TZAFRIA, ISRAEL – SEPTEMBER 30: Assaf Regavim, one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit to stop the pilot, speaks to a scrum of television reporters and camera crews outside the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026 in Tzafria, Israel. This morning, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a violent altercation in the cockpit. Passengers told media outlets that a pilot was stabbed and temporarily lost control of the plane. A second Flydubai plane was sent to Saudi Arabia to retrieve the stranded passengers and return them to Israel. (Photo by Erik Marmor/Getty Images)

Erik Marmor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Active flight personnel and travelers succeeded in thwarting a pilot’s suspected attempt to crash a FlyDubai journey, following accounts of a struggle in the cockpit.

The episode aboard flight FZ1073 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv unfolded when a first officer allegedly stabbed a captain, Netanyahu stated, commending the victim’s rapid response.

“Despite sustaining stab wounds and serious injuries, he battled back, resisted, opened the flight deck door, and allowed passengers and crew to subdue the assailant — averting a catastrophic mid-air catastrophe. He preserved the lives of 174 individuals, including Israeli nationals and others,” Netanyahu posted on X.

The carrier reported that FZ1073 was redirected to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia after the flight crew successfully secured and diverted the aircraft.

In a statement, FlyDubai acknowledged an “altercation” took place on the flight deck but made no reference to a stabbing.

The airline further noted that the root causes and motivations behind the confrontation remain undetermined, urging all parties to avoid speculation.

Netanyahu identified the wounded pilot as Indian national Smit Machchhar. Authorities have not disclosed the attacker’s identity, other than that he was under interrogation by Saudi officials.

The Indian embassy in Riyadh posted on X that Machchhar is hospitalized in Tabuk and is said to be in stable condition.

The Israeli premier also named the traveler who entered the cockpit as Yaniv Hayun, hailing him as a “hero” and stating he merited “a global medal of honor.”

Data from flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 revealed the aircraft underwent severe altitude variations before transmitting a “general emergency” transponder code.

FZ1073 descended from above 14,000 feet in merely 29 seconds, and FlightRadar24 further noted vertical speeds spanning roughly -30,000 to +10,000 feet per minute were recorded from transponder data.

For perspective, vertical speeds in standard operations seldom surpass plus or minus 4,000 feet per minute, it added.

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South Korean President Lee pushes back on Alaska LNG project after Trump touts Seoul’s participation

The U.S. announced plans for up to $200 billion in South Korean investment, though Seoul has yet to finalize the participation in the Alaska LNG project.

South Korea’s $200 billion investment into the U.S., which President Donald Trump said would transform America “for generations,” is not a done deal in totality.

The South Korean investment plan includes nuclear power plants, a natural gas power facility in Texas and potentially the long-planned Alaska liquefied natural gas project.

Trump in a Truth Social post late Wednesday stateside said the countries had agreed to work on the Alaska LNG project, pegging its value at $50 billion, drawing a response from South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, who emphasized that involvement in some of the projects remains subject to commercial considerations.

Lee in an X post on Thursday local time said that participation in the Alaska LNG project was dependent on its financial viability and legal compliance. He added that investments in nuclear power plants would also require assessment of commercial viability on a plant-by-plant basis.

The U.S.-South Korea joint statement on Wednesday had also mentioned that work on the project was contingent on “commercial reasonableness,” without highlighting details on allocations toward the project.

The Alaska LNG project seeks to transport natural gas roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from fields on Alaska’s North Slope to the southern part of the state, where it would be liquefied for export to markets including Asia, reported Yonhap. The project has faced long-standing questions over its economics given the large up-front investment required.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan had described it as “high-risk” last year and said participation would be difficult unless it could generate sufficient cash flow.

Overall, the investment package includes $22.3 billion for a 6,472-megawatt natural gas power facility in Encinal, Texas, that will supply electricity to co-located data centers. The project will be led by developer Related Cos. and U.S. power company NextEra Energy

Trump said the investments would turn South Korea’s commitments into “huge construction projects” and create “tens of thousands of American jobs.”

“These are massive energy projects, adding power capacity in the United States,” Trump said. “This is new construction, new manufacturing, and great jobs for American workers.”

Another $120 billion has been allocated to plans for eight large-scale nuclear reactors in the U.S. Of that amount, $100 billion is earmarked for construction costs and $20 billion for contingency reserves.

The nuclear agreement was signed by both governments as well as Westinghouse Electric, Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The plan also calls for pursuing a potential significant minority investment in Westinghouse by Korean companies, with the terms subject to commercial negotiations.

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Stalled crypto legislation does not stop the SEC from advancing new custody rules

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules to modernize digital asset custody, continuing regulatory progress despite the stall of broader congressional legislation. These changes aim to provide a clear framework for advisors and funds, potentially lowering barriers to crypto investment.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced a set of proposed regulations designed to simplify how investment advisors and regulated entities can securely hold cryptocurrencies for their clients. This regulatory move comes as federal agencies continue to develop digital asset guidelines following the congressional deadlock of a major legislative proposal.

Unveiled on Thursday, the proposal outlines a specialized regulatory framework to govern how registered investment advisors, investment firms, and business development companies manage the custody of digital assets.

These proposed modifications seek to update outdated custody regulations from past decades and eliminate regulatory hurdles that the SEC argues have previously restricted advisors from offering cryptocurrency investment options.

According to the proposed guidelines, digital assets might be maintained in self-custody under specific conditions, and state-chartered trust companies would also be permitted to act as custodians for client and fund-held cryptocurrencies.

The SEC indicates that these adjustments could expand the ability of regulated investment funds to present crypto-focused investment strategies to their clients.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that current regulations have struggled to keep up with the explosive growth of digital assets, which have evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar industry.

“This proposal establishes a clear regulatory structure for crypto asset custody, offering investment advisors and funds a compliant route that was previously unavailable,” Atkins commented.

This initiative follows ongoing efforts by U.S. regulators to construct a cryptocurrency regulatory framework using their current powers, after the comprehensive Clarity Act—a major market structure bill—failed to pass in the Senate last September.

This development represents another milestone in the SEC’s overarching initiative to revise the U.S. digital asset regulatory landscape under Atkins’ leadership. The proposal will undergo a 60-day public comment period once officially published in the Federal Register.

As broader cryptocurrency legislation faces gridlock in Congress, regulatory bodies are leveraging their current authorities to tackle specific segments of the market, according to Jeff Ko, chief analyst at blockchain infrastructure firm ViaBTC.

“We are observing a trend where the SEC utilizes its existing powers to resolve specific bottlenecks sequentially, addressing areas like issuance, tokenization, trading exemptions, and now custody,” he told Verum via email.

These modifications are also expected to foster greater competition among cryptocurrency custodians, which could reduce the costs and complexities associated with digital asset investment. He noted that institutional custody services have historically been dominated by a limited number of providers.

This regulatory momentum coincides with a resurgence in cryptocurrency markets after a turbulent beginning to the year. Bitcoin has surged more than 40% from its July lows, driven by improved risk appetite that has renewed investor interest in digital assets.

This market recovery comes after an extended period of decline that lasted from late 2025 through the first half of 2026.

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