If you’re a fan of old-school Disney animations like Steamboat Willie and shooters like Call of Duty, you’re in luck. A small independent studio from Warsaw, Fumi Games, is developing a shooter titled Mouse with visuals inspired by cartoons in the 1930s.
According to Fumi Games, Mouse is a “gritty, jazz-fueled shooter”, where you gun down “a corrupt city full of crooks and danger” in the style of retro, rubber hose, monochromatic animation. Most of the characters – even you – are mice. Fumi Games recently released an official gameplay trailer for the game.
The trailer features various Peaky Blinders-like anthropomorphic mice being shot with cartoon shotguns, six-shooter revolvers, and Tommy guns. In Mouse, headshots cause goons to lose their heads, leaving their neck spurting out blood in black and white. Explosions leave your enemies charred as they stare at you in shock before being disintegrated to dust like from an episode of Tom and Jerry. You’ll also be able to melee enemies using a 30’s cartoon iconic wind-up punch just like Popeye.
The game also promises in-game collectibles and some form of character progression like weapon upgrades. All of this looney mayhem seems to take place in a toon-like pre-World War II era America, filled with vintage posters and blue-collar shipyard locations.
This is not the first time the gaming industry has released a retro cartoon-inspired game. The release of Cuphead by Studio MDHR garnered well-received reviews and love from gamers, with its characters and frames meticulously hand-painted, further spawning a Netflix series. Mouse seems to have a similar type of charm – and if anything – will very likely experience the same kind of success.
It will take a while for Mouse’s development to be complete. The game is set for a 2025 release date and can be wishlisted on Steam. Patience, like rubber hose animation cartoons, is a virtue that will stand the test of time.
Crack open a cold one with Joey, because the moment you approach him, he will start talking about film and video games for days. He spends his waking moments during the weekends meditating on how the latest movie he’s watched or game he’s played has impacted his worldview.
Trinity Sun
Si Jia
Ryan Michael Chin
