Mouse P.I. For Hire Tips: Beginner Guide to Solving Every Case in Mouseburg

I almost ruined my entire first playthrough of Mouse P.I. For Hire in the first two hours. Not because I died. Because I missed a weapon schematic behind a breakable wall in the opera house and did not realize the game would never let me go back for it. That schematic unlocked an alt-fire mode for my favorite gun. Gone forever.

That moment taught me something important about this game. Mouse P.I. For Hire looks like a goofy cartoon shooter. It plays like one too. But underneath that rubber hose art style and jazz soundtrack is a game that punishes careless players in ways you will not expect. Missable collectibles. Permanently locked safes. No mission replay. No New Game Plus.

I beat the game twice after that. Once sloppy. Once proper. This guide contains every Mouse P.I. For Hire tip I picked up across both playthroughs so you can get it right the first time.

What Kind of Game Is Mouse P.I. For Hire?

Let me clear this up right away because the art style tricks people. This is not a casual game. It is a full boomer shooter in the tradition of Doom and classic FPS titles, wrapped in 1930s hand-drawn animation.2 The game was developed by Fumi Games and published by PlaySide Studios. 2 Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic mice in the 1930s, players control Jack Pepper, voiced by Troy Baker, who must investigate a mysterious case across the fictional town of Mouseburg. 2 Gameplay includes both investigative sections where Jack has to find clues and solve puzzles, and combat sections where he engages in shootouts wielding a variety of guns, melee weapons, and gadgets. The mix of noir detective vibes with explosive action gives the game a personality that most shooters lack entirely.

According to the game’s official website, Mouse features over 20 noir-infused levels, more than ten unique weapons, and unlockable movement abilities with Metroidvania-inspired traversal. That is a lot of game for $29.99. But it also means a lot of places to miss stuff permanently.

Start on Supersleuth Difficulty

This is my number one tip. The default Detective difficulty is too easy. I am not saying that to brag. Nearly every review agrees on this point. Health pickups, ammo, and armor are everywhere on Detective mode. You never feel threatened. Combat becomes a shooting gallery instead of a challenge.

Supersleuth is the hard difficulty but it honestly feels more like what medium should be. You still feel powerful. You still mow through rooms. But you occasionally need to think about which weapon to use and where to position yourself. That tension is what makes boomer shooters fun.

If you are new to FPS games entirely, Detective is fine. But if you have ever played Doom, Quake, or any retro shooter, go straight to Supersleuth. You will not regret it.

Save at Every Typewriter. Every Single One.

Typewriters are your manual save points. They work similar to typewriters in Resident Evil. Walk up, interact, and your progress saves. The game does have autosaves but they can be unreliable. Community reports mention autosaves occasionally triggering right before a death, which can softlock your progress.

More importantly, you need manual saves before black safes. These safes have a timed lockpicking minigame. If you fail, the safe jams permanently. Whatever was inside is gone forever. That could be a weapon schematic or a secret collectible you need for 100% completion.

My rule was simple. See a typewriter? Save. About to pick a lock? Save first. Entering a new area? Save. You cannot oversave in this game but you can absolutely undersave.

The Lockpicking System and Why It Matters

Lockpicking in Mouse P.I. For Hire uses a minigame where you navigate Jack’s tail through a maze. You push pins upward while dodging spikes. Regular safes give you unlimited time. Black safes have a timer and spikes that permanently jam the lock if you hit them.

The rewards inside locked safes range from weapon schematics to secret collectibles to baseball cards. Some of the best weapon upgrades in the game are locked behind these safes. Missing them does not just cost you a collectible. It costs you combat power.

Here is what I wish someone told me. You can practice the minigame’s rhythm on regular safes first. Get comfortable with the movement before attempting a timed black safe. And always, always save at a typewriter first. If you mess up, reload immediately.

Explore Everything Before Moving On

This is critical. Mouse P.I. For Hire has no mission replay and no New Game Plus. Once you finish a level and move on, you cannot go back. Every collectible, every weapon schematic, every secret room you missed is gone permanently.

The game has 24 main jobs and 14 side jobs with dozens of collectibles spread across every level. That includes 38 newspapers, 41 baseball cards, comic books, figurines, and weapon schematics. If you care about completion at all, you need to search every corner before leaving any area.

I learned this lesson painfully during my first playthrough. Rushed through the Tinsel Ave level. Missed two schematics and a comic strip. Could never get them back. Had to start a completely new save to collect everything.

Break crates. Check behind walls. Look up at the ceiling for hidden paths. If a wall looks suspicious, kick it or shoot it. Destructible walls are marked with a sign that says “totally real” which is the game’s tongue-in-cheek way of telling you to smash through them. If you enjoy hunting for hidden items in games, we covered similar exploration mechanics in our House of Davinci walkthrough which requires the same kind of environmental attention.

Weapon Upgrades Are Not Optional

You find weapon schematics hidden in secret areas throughout levels. Take these blueprints back to Tammy Tumbler’s workshop in the hub area between missions. Every weapon has two upgrade tiers and both matter enormously.

The first upgrade tier is the important one. It unlocks an alt-fire mode that fundamentally changes how the weapon works. Not a small stat buff. A completely new function. Missing schematics means being stuck with base-level weapons longer than you want to be.

The second tier provides stat improvements like damage increases, faster reload speed, or larger magazine size. Nice but not transformative like the first tier.

Because schematics are hidden in levels you cannot revisit, weapon upgrade hunting is not just a completionist activity. It directly affects your combat options for the rest of the game. Treat every level like a scavenger hunt. The payoff is real.

Use Environmental Kills Constantly

Mouse P.I. For Hire is stuffed with environmental weapons pulled straight from classic cartoons. Explosive barrels, falling pianos, swinging anvils, and more. Using these saves ammo and often kills enemies faster than guns.

There are three barrel types beyond the standard explosive variety. Fire barrels burn an area and turn enemies to ash. Corrosive barrels spread devarnisher, which is the game’s damage-over-time effect. Snow barrels freeze enemies solid, and frozen enemies die instantly from a single shot or kick.

You can pick up barrels and throw them at distant enemies. You can also kick them to send them sliding across the floor. Look for logos on each barrel to identify its type before using it.

Pianos and anvils hang from ceilings in certain levels. Shoot the rope or chain holding them up when enemies walk underneath. Instant kill. There is even an achievement for crushing 20 enemies with heavy falling objects.

Just stay clear of your own barrel explosions. They damage you too. I learned that during a fight where I kicked a fire barrel directly into a wall two feet in front of me. Crispy detective.

How Healing Works (Two Systems, Not One)

The game has two separate healing systems and knowing when to use each one matters.

Health bottles are scattered around arenas and along main paths. They heal you up to the maximum of 100 HP. Armor pickups give you up to 100 armor which absorbs all damage except devarnisher effects. On Rookie and Detective difficulty, these pickups alone are enough to keep you alive.

Cheese slices are your portable healing. You can carry up to nine at a time. Each slice heals 20 HP when consumed. On Supersleuth difficulty and during boss fights, cheese becomes essential. If there are no health bottles nearby and your HP is below 20, eat the cheese. Do not hoard it.

I made the mistake of saving all my cheese for “later” during my first playthrough. I died on a boss fight with eight cheese slices in my inventory. Use them. There is always more cheese in Mouseburg.

The Hub Area Between Missions

Between missions, you return to a hub area that includes several important locations.

Jack’s Office has a murder board where clues you have collected are pinned automatically. Check it regularly to track case progress.

Tammy Tumbler’s Workshop is where you turn in weapon schematics for upgrades. Visit after every mission if you found any blueprints.

The General Store sells baseball cards, newspapers, and comic panels for cash. Some collectibles are only available from the store, so spend your money here rather than hoarding it.

Little and Big Bar features a baseball card battler mini-game that reviewers have described as surprisingly addictive. Use high Strength cards when batting and high Fielding cards when pitching. Winning matches earns you rewards and contributes to the S’all in the Cards achievement which requires 30 wins.

The overworld map is also accessed from the hub. It is a gorgeous animated top-down view where you drive between locations. Side jobs become available based on items you find during main missions, so talk to NPCs in the hub after every case to see what has opened up.

Boss Fights Demand Different Strategies

Regular combat in Mouse P.I. For Hire is fast and fun but straightforward. Boss fights are where the game actually challenges you.

No two bosses work the same way. Some have weak points you need to expose through environmental interaction. Others have phases that require specific weapon types or movement abilities. A few are straight-up bullet sponges that test your dodging and resource management.

My general boss fight advice:

Stock up on cheese before entering. Boss arenas rarely have health pickups scattered around. Your cheese supply is your lifeline.

Use your kick. The melee kick stuns enemies for a short time. This includes certain boss attacks. If a boss rushes you, a well-timed kick can interrupt their charge and give you a free damage window.

Freeze and shatter. If the boss arena has snow barrels, use them. Frozen enemies, including certain boss phases, die instantly from one shot or kick. This is the single most overpowered mechanic in the game and it works on more enemies than you would expect.

Keep moving. Like Doom, standing still in Mouse P.I. For Hire is a death sentence. Strafe constantly. Use your dash. Never stop.

Collectibles Quick Reference

Here is what you are hunting for across all 24 main missions and 14 side jobs.

Collectible Type	Total Count	Where to Find
Newspapers	38	Hidden in levels and some available at store
Baseball Cards	41	Levels, safes, store purchases
Comic Strips	Multiple	Hidden in levels, some in safes
Weapon Schematics	63	Secret areas, locked safes
Figurines	Multiple	Secret areas
Optional Clues	Per mission	Investigation areas
Secret Collectibles	10	Well-hidden in specific levels

Side jobs must be completed before the “Jack Squat” mission which acts as a point of no return. After that mission, unfinished side jobs lock permanently. Plan accordingly.

Performance Tips for PC and Switch 2

On PC, some players report FPS drops in specific areas, particularly the hub zone where frame rates can tank from 240 to 30 in certain spots. As of patch 1.0.6, Fumi Games has addressed some stability issues but the hub dips persist on certain hardware configurations.

On Switch 2, the game runs well overall with occasional dips in heavy combat sequences. The portable form factor actually suits the game’s mission structure perfectly. Quick 20-minute sessions between other games work great.

If you are playing on PC and experiencing the black screen hang that some users reported at launch, updating to the latest hotfix should resolve it. The developers have been actively patching based on community feedback.

For anyone building or upgrading a gaming PC, our best prebuilt gaming PCs guide has current recommendations that handle games like Mouse P.I. For Hire without any issues. And if you are also playing other 2026 titles between cases, our Saros beginner tips and Pragmata guide cover two of this year’s other standout games.

Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To

Let me just list the dumb stuff from my first playthrough.

I rushed past a typewriter before a black safe. Failed the lockpick. Lost a weapon schematic forever.

I sold baseball cards at the store instead of keeping them for the card battler mini-game. You need cards to play matches. Do not sell them.

I ignored side jobs until the “Jack Squat” point of no return. Several locked permanently. Had to replay the entire game for the Real Deal Gumshoe achievement.

I forgot that kicking enemies stuns them. I was relying purely on guns for the first three cases. Kicks are free, fast, and save ammo constantly.

I did not check the store between every mission. Some collectibles rotate in and out of the store inventory. If you see one you need, buy it immediately.

I played on Detective difficulty and was bored by case four. Restarted on Supersleuth. Much better.

If you enjoy detective-themed games with hidden secrets and puzzles, our Lost Lands 8 walkthrough covers another game that rewards careful exploration and environmental attention.

FAQ

Looking for more 2026 game guides? Our Pragmata review covers Capcom’s big sci-fi release. And if you want something with deep replayability between Mouse P.I. sessions, the Saros Eclipse system guide explains how Housemarque’s roguelite keeps every run feeling fresh.