When the convergence showcase happened, it showed off a brand-new boss fight, Robo Betty, for MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. It wasn’t long after that that we got asked if we wanted to experience this fight for ourselves for an exclusive preview of the game. Obviously, the answer was yes! This is one of the titles I personally have been looking forward to. The nostalgic 1930’s cartoon aesthetics, the detective noir story, and a first-person shooter focused on a narrative rather than a multiplayer run and gun for the thousandth time.
The Experience
Jack Pepper is a private eye for hire. His case is to look for a magician. The best way to look for someone is by following his footsteps, so that is exactly where Jack Pepper goes. This magician turns out to be a mad scientist when Jack Pepper arrives and notices a lot of hostile robots that want to eat him for breakfast. Jack has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including pistols, shotguns, and submachine guns. Each weapon requires a different ammunition type if one gets too low. The gunplay itself felt like it was straight out of classic Doom. You can strafe side to side, dash, or double jump up to ledges around the laboratory.
You have a health gauge and a shield gauge. You can find shields throughout the laboratory to be active on your character. If you get hurt, the shields deplete before the health depletes. If your health depletes, you can find drinks around the area that will heal you a certain amount. You can also eat cheese that you find with a button after you find some to add to your inventory. Note that you can eat the cheese in the middle of combat, so it might be best to hold on to it instead of using it when you have a moment that lulls.
One of the best things about this level is the story it tells while you are roaming around the lab. Machines line the walls, trap lines the floor, and robots are constantly making sure things are spick and span. The big hitter is when you get to Robo Betty, and your character notices the real person that Robo Betty is based on. I won’t spoil it, but it is a story that makes the whole lab make sense, and as to why this particular individual turned into a mad scientist. You first come into contact with a very early prototype of Robo Betty, and she can just shoot lasers and turn on a single spot on the floor. You will have to use the terrain to your advantage to put barriers between you and Robo Betty. You will also have to bob and weave around lasers as she turns around.
Robo Betty
As you go further into the lab in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, you eventually hit a second iteration of Robo Betty. This one has massive nails at the edge of her fingers. They look like claws, and she uses them as such. She will call more robots around you as she tries to get close to you while you are distracted to attack you. This fight really makes sure you are paying attention to the area around you.
The final boss fight is the last version of Robo Betty. She is a fully formed robot that isn’t stuck to the ground and also doesn’t have claws for hands. She has moves from the first two iterations of Robo Betty, like lasers and claw attacks, but she is smarter about when to use them. She also has a very potent ray beam that she can pull out. Luckily, when she is about to use it, a few barriers will drop from the top of the lab, so you can get behind one of them to survive.
Mouseburg
When you finally defeat Robo Betty, Jack finds some information that he was looking for, and now it is time to report. Jack Pepper goes to a phone box titled Quit O Phone that takes you back to the entrance so you can leave the laboratory. You are brought to Jack’s car, and he now has to drive to the town of Mouseburg. He plans to sort out all the clues he found at the lab to figure out a new location to look at.
Mouseburg is a city location that lets you talk to residents. There are also shops and places to upgrade your weapons. If you like one of your weapons better than the others, or if you just want a weapon to feel better, then upgrades are important. This version of the preview ended after you went to Jack Pepper’s desk and figured out a new location to drive to.
Wrap Up
Overall, I really enjoyed the time I was able to put into MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. The gunplay is smooth, the art is nostalgic, and it resonates inside my mind. It is a unique style to bring to this type of format. I look forward to seeing more of the detective noir style of storytelling. Troy Baker as Jack Pepper is an amazing rendition of Noir detectives from back in the day. Every time Jack got to do a monologue or a reveal, it gave me goosebumps.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire will release on April 16th, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
