Mouse: P.I. For Hire Beginner's Guide to Survival
Mouse: P.I. For Hire first burst onto the scene and instantly became viral around the time the first Mickey Mouse cartoon entered the public domain. While veterans of fast-paced shooters know how to avoid damage, and sleuthy gamers might uncover secrets with ease, this Mouse: P.I. For Hire experience has specific nuances you must master before diving in. Rushing through can cause you to miss useful power-ups or fall victim to unexpected challenges that crush the unprepared. This guide covers everything you need to know about exploiting enemy weaknesses and ensuring you don't lock yourself out of hidden collectibles in Mouse: P.I. For Hire.
Never Stand Still and Master Movement
This may be an obvious tip, but it is critical for surviving Mouse: P.I. For Hire. As this shooter shares DNA with Doom and its sequels, you must constantly strafe, pick your shots, and avoid relying on cover to protect you from all incoming fire. You start with a short dash that consumes stamina, which can mitigate gunshots from mouse enemies or help you escape clusters of melee attackers.
Don't forget that abilities unlocked throughout the case are versatile tools for both puzzle rooms and combat scenarios:
- Double jumping large gaps creates necessary distance between you and your foes.
- Use the tail propeller to cross wide chasms during high-intensity firefights.
- Stay alert for snipers and track their teleportation points, as standing in the open will drain a massive chunk of your health instantly.
The Gun That’s Best Suited for the Job
While you could technically use one weapon throughout the campaign on lower difficulties, surviving higher tiers requires knowing which firearm is the best tool for specific enemies. Regular foes with melee weapons or guns fall quickly to handgun shots or short bursts from your James gun, while larger mobsters wielding shotguns may require several more rounds to defeat. Shrews usually drop in one hit, though those that throw explosives are surprisingly tanky until a well-placed shot stops them mid-throw.
You must also match specific weapons to tougher targets to succeed:
- Shotgun blasts easily stun the largest mice goons, preventing them from punching or charging at you.
- A single Devarnisher blast whittles down sniper health while you stay behind cover.
- The Devarnisher also ignores defenses, making it ideal for enemies with shields.
- Anything tanky or armored is susceptible to the destructive blasts of the Loose Cannon.
Barrels Are There to Go Boom
Explosive barrels are scattered across most rooms in Mouse: P.I. For Hire, offering more than just a simple detonation risk. You can lure enemies to them and fire from a distance, but the real fun lies in picking one up to lob at faraway foes or punting it with your foot toward oncoming threats. Always inspect the logos on each barrel to understand their unique effects beyond standard explosions:
- Fire barrels burn the local area and turn enemies into ash.
- Corrosive barrels spread devarnisher, dealing damage over time.
- Snow barrels freeze enemies in place, allowing you to kill them instantly with one shot or punch.
Be cautious not to get too close to their explosions, as the effects of any barrel type are deadly to you as well.
Exploit Cartoon Physics for Massive Damage
Remember the old cartoon trope where a bad guy gets squished by a piano and waddles away flat as a pancake? In Mouse: P.I. For Hire, looking up might reveal targets suspiciously placed under precariously suspended girders or anvils. Shooting these suspended objects causes them to fall, instantly squashing everything caught in the blast radius below.
You can also use your speed to lay traps for large groups of approaching adversaries by walking into range of a heavy object and shooting it down to crush a massive cluster. While pulling off this timing can be difficult, successfully executing it makes even the most enemy-dense encounters significantly easier to handle.
Only Use Your Cheddar When in a Pinch
Mouse: P.I. For Hire features two distinct types of healing items that serve different strategic purposes. The primary method involves using healing bottles scattered around arenas or along the main path, which can replenish your health up to the maximum of 100. You can also find up to 100 armor points, which protect you from all damage except devarnishing effects; this should be your go-to for both Rookie and Detective difficulty modes since enemy damage is rarely overwhelming.
However, when playing on Supersleuth difficulty or during tough boss fights, you may need to rely on cheddar slices. You can hold up to nine at a time, with each slice healing 20 health points instantly. If no other healing items are nearby and your health drops below 20, take the hit immediately and consume that cheddar to stay in the fight.
Channel Your Inner Rodent for Secrets
As famous rodents who scurry in tight spaces, you should utilize crawling through every vent and leaping into rafters to uncover hidden content. If a vent offers multiple directions, edge one way first to check if it leads to dead ends containing cash, comics, baseball cards, or newspaper clippings. Searching high and low at all times ensures you do not miss any collectibles scattered throughout the game world.
A particularly useful tool for exploration is the propeller skill, which allows you to hover briefly and provides an initial height boost after a double jump. This ability makes otherwise unreachable ledges accessible, meaning some of the game’s best-kept secrets are waiting up high.
