Cuphead isn’t the only game banking on vintage animation to catch your eye. Fumi Games has unveiled Mouse, a first-person shooter that mimics the “rubber hose” drawing style of 1930s cartoons from Disney and other studios. You play a private detective who has to blast his way through waves of mobster mice as he unravels a “web of deceit and murder.” The result is equally charming and disturbing — crooks’ heads pop like balloons, and explosions reduce your opponents to ash.
Fumi isn’t leaning solely on nostalgia. Mouse will offer flexibility in how you play. You can charge in guns blazing, but you can also dodge around or meticulously plan your approach. A “Fantastic-o-Matic” upgrade system lets you boost preferred abilities and weapons through Bioshock-like vending machines. You can also expect activities like safecracking.
There’s clearly a lot of work left. Fumi hasn’t shared a release date, and the early footage shows barebones maps and gameplay mechanics. Still, Mouse shows some promise. Like Cuphead, the artwork is a refreshing break from what you’re used to in its genre — it’s neither striving for realism nor replicating the modern cartoon look of Fortnite or Valorant. It’s just a question of whether or not the gameplay is strong enough to keep you invested after the novelty wears off.
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