We got our first look at Mouse back in May, and it was immediately intriguing: How could you not be at least a little curious about an M-rated FPS with a visual style clipped straight out of 1930s Disney animations? It was very barebones at the time, just some concept art and early animation clips, but now we’ve got a better look at what’s coming courtesy of IGN, and I am no longer just intrigued—I am interested.
Mouse, as described on its Steam page, is “a gritty and noir-fueled FPS shooter that draws inspiration from classic cartoons of the 1930s.” Players will take on the role of a private detective in a noir city riddled with corruption, and embark upon a quest for justice that will of course lean heavily on guns, explosives, and the occasional head-popping uppercut.
That sounds like a good time, but what really sells Mouse at this point is how it looks: It’s basically Steamboat Willie with a Tommy gun and some TNT. Cuphead is the obvious comparison but I’d say Mouse is more overtly anachronistic: Mickey Mouse is bustin’ caps in asses!
Of course it’s not Mickey, but as we noted when Mouse was first revealed, Steamboat Willie is set to enter the public domain on January 1, 2024, and that long-overdue shift may have inspired and/or emboldened developer Fumi Games to run with the idea.
It still seems very preliminary, particularly in the way heads seem to pop with a consistent sameness (I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Mickey Mouse game), but the environments look great and the music is spot-on. Also note that you’ll have the opportunity to drop at least one grand piano on the heads of the bad guys, and that right there is a big plus in my book.
Mouse has a release target now, although it’s still quite distant: The Steam page says it’ll be out sometime in 2025.