Can Mouse’s Art Style Help It Stand Out From the Crowd?

The games industry is home to a big problem of homogenization. It’s pretty commonplace to see a new kind of game blow up, and before you know it – all the big-name publishers and indie studios are rushing to make similar experiences in hopes of getting a piece of this newfound pie. As such, it’s pretty rare to see something new that immediately gets you hyped with its fresh mechanics or unique visual aesthetics. This feature series is dedicated to putting a much-needed spotlight on games that tick these boxes, and today we will be discussing the recently revealed Mouse.

Currently in development at Fumi Games, Mouse is an interesting mix of contrasting genres and art style – which helps it stand out from the crowd. And suffice it to say, early showings of the game have set the internet ablaze with hype and excitement. But if you really look closely, you will be able to notice many trappings of a great game which is precisely what we will be discussing with this feature.

Fumi Games is a humble game developer based out of Poland, and Mouse is one of the studio’s debut titles. It’s currently being developed alongside Galaxi Taxi, a game that puts players in the shoes of an intergalactic taxi driver as they transport players from one planet to the other. Of course, the studio hasn’t proven its mettle just yet which definitely warrants some skepticism – but Mouse’s impressive first showing has us convinced that the team is talented and passionate about this project, so we’re giving it the benefit of the doubt here.

But coming back to the game itself, Mouse is a first person shooter where players assume the role of a detective by the name of John Mouston as he embarks on a quest to solve a thrilling mystery in a city that’s full of corrupt forces. Apart from that, not a lot is known about the story as of yet – so we’ll have to wait for more information for now. That being said, the developer has stated that the story is heavily inspired by noir thrillers, so it seems fair to expect a lot of morally grey characters and riveting plot twists as you peel back the many layers behind the central mystery.

A good noir story can be a hard nut to crack since there are so many defining elements to a good narrative. Take for example Max Payne, where everything from its signature writing to the supporting cast of characters and excellent atmosphere comes together to make for a constantly thrilling experience. Mouse will have to do something similar to succeed, though it can also double down on humour afforded by its cartoony art style which can make for something that’s both fresh and engaging at the same time.

Over on the gameplay front, Mouse looks like a standard first-person shooter. You get a handful of guns, and you will obviously use them to fend off waves of enemies as you make your way through the many levels on offer. You can use a pistol, submachine gun, and snipers to pick off enemies individually or use dynamite to blow up stuff from a distance. Or better yet, you can ditch weapons altogether and beat your adversaries with your bare hands.

It looks like a simple yet enjoyable gameplay loop, and the developer has done a great job of nailing the basics right. The movement seems responsive, and shooting down targets has a satisfying kick to it regardless of whichever weapon to choose to use. Popping off headshots result in some hilarious decapitations, and you will find plenty of similarly charming touches in the gameplay loop that coalesce to make Mouse such an intriguing game to look at.

As for the progression, Mouse will feature vending machines littered throughout the environment using which players will be able to upgrade their weapons. The game calls these machines Fantastic-o-Matic, and the developer has stated that you can use them to upgrade your special abilities as well. The trailers haven’t showcased any of these abilities, so we’ll have to wait to know more about them.

Of course, the biggest drawing factor in the case of the Mouse is its art style. Much like Cuphead before, it is heavily inspired by the Disney animated movies of the 1930s. But it marries that 2D art with a fully 3D geometry, which makes it look nothing short of extraordinary. Character models exhibit a ton of detail, and animations are appropriately expressive in nature. Fumi Games has also done a great job of taking that core visual aesthetic of Disney cartoons and weaving that into every element of the experience.

Let’s take the user interface as an example. The bullets icon features an expressive doddle that has a nasty grinning look when the clip is full, and once the magazine is out of bullets – the expression changes to an exhausted one. It’s the same case with the health icon, and we’re really excited to see more of these subtle touches with the final release. The same story continues over to the music as well. The time period of these early cartoons was defined by some slick jazz music, and Mouse features some quality music that fits appropriately with the nature of the game. All in all, the developer has paid some great attention to detail with this game – which is a pretty rare sight for indie games like this one.

There are a ton of promising things about Mouse that we could be rambling about endlessly, but the hard truth is that what we have seen is a very small slice of the experience. For instance, almost all the trailer footage takes place in test levels – and we haven’t seen any complete levels as of yet. Similarly, the story is also up for debate since we only have a very vague framework to work with at the moment. Sure, the core gameplay looks impressive, but for Mouse to be successful – it has to nail every aspect of the experience and keep shaking things up with new mechanics, enemy types, bosses, or set pieces so as to retain the interest of any fan right through to the end credits.

Finally coming over to the release dates and platforms, Mouse is currently planned to be released for PC through Steam. It’s possible that the game may come to consoles at some point in the future, but that most likely depends on how the game ends up being received on PC. As for the release date, we don’t have any concrete information just yet – but considering the current state of the game, a 2024 release seems like a good guess.

In conclusion, Mouse is looking like an absolutely great time and everything from the art style to the immaculate attention to detail and much more has us really excited for this game. Some elements like the story, level design, and gameplay variety are still shrouded in mystery, which definitely calls for some rightful skepticism – but we are genuinely hoping that Mouse ends up being worth all the hype and excitement and then some more.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.