BTS: Rubber Hose Meets Interactive 3D In 'Mouse: P.I. For Hire'

May 2, 2026 - 14:16

Fumi Games is blending the rubbery, exaggerated look of 1930s Fleischer Studios cartoons with modern first-person shooter gameplay in its upcoming title "Mouse: P.I. For Hire." Co-founder Mateusz Michalak and director Michal Rostek recently discussed how the team resurrected a century-old animation style for a new generation of players.

The game's visual identity is a deliberate throwback. Michalak explained that the team spent months studying old "Betty Boop" and "Popeye" shorts, focusing on the fluid, squash-and-stretch motion that defined the era. "We wanted that hand-drawn feel, but in a fully interactive 3D space," he said. "It is not just a filter. We had to rebuild how the character moves and reacts to match that vintage physics."

"Mouse: P.I. For Hire" casts players as a detective in a noir city populated by cartoon animals. The gameplay is a chaotic mix of run-and-gun action. Players can use a standard pistol, but the standout weapon is a freeze gun that encases enemies in ice, allowing the player to shatter them with a melee attack. Rostek noted that the team wanted weapons that felt as exaggerated as the characters.

The project gained unexpected traction after a short demo clip went viral on TikTok. The clip, which showed the protagonist bouncing across a stylized city street, drew millions of views almost overnight. "We were just showing a test level," Rostek said. "We did not expect that reaction. It told us that people are hungry for something that looks different."

Despite the retro aesthetic, the game uses Unreal Engine 5 to handle its lighting and physics. The developers are aiming for a 2025 release on PC, with console ports under consideration. For now, the team is focused on polishing the single-player campaign and ensuring that the cartoon violence stays true to the slapstick roots of the source material.