Just in time for Steamboat Willie's upcoming induction into public domain is a new indie FPS inspired by '30s-era Disney animation: Mouse. Developed by Polish studio Fumi Games, you might have caught a first glimpse at Mouse on TikTok, where short clips of early gameplay have earned millions of views since late April.
It's easy to see why—Mouse's art and animations are immediately striking in the same ways that Cuphead dazzled us with its meticulous hand-drawn look years ago. Except where Cuphead largely stayed within the bounds of its family-friendly source material, Mouse dives headfirst into hard-boiled noir darkness and '90s FPS gore. Seeing the Disney vintage look applied to machineguns and exploding headshots feels a little wrong, but also very right.
With its blending of 3D geometry and 2D animation, Fumi Games doesn't seem to adhere to the animation aesthetic as strictly as Studio MDHR, but its early prototypes look great nonetheless. There's a satisfying bendiness to the tommy gun's equip animation and I particularly appreciate the pillowy clouds of smoke spewing out of the guns.
The Mouse Steam page describes it as a "story-driven experience that will take you on a thrilling journey through a dangerous and corrupt city." Combat promises to let you approach things your way, whether you want to "run and gun, jump and dodge, or carefully plan your attacks," and there will be an upgrade system for weapons. Sounds a bit like New Blood Interactive's upcoming stylized immersive sim, Fallen Aces.
Mouse is immediately intriguing enough that it's an easy wishlist for me, but don't expect any movement on its "to be announced" release date anytime soon. Mouse looks very early in development, judging by all the featureless prototype maps in the trailer, placeholder assets, and the way every bad guy's head explodes even if they're shot in the gut. Google-translated replies from a Fumi dev on TikTok clarify that the game is in "early stages." It's also worth knowing that Fumi Games has another yet-to-be-released game in the works inspired by another distinct era of animation: Galaxi Taxi.
Mouse's current iteration looks more like a cool proof-of-concept than a proper product, but you can see where it goes from here: waist-high cover, phone booth save points, cans of veggies that refill HP, maybe a fight where a mob boss throws steel girders at you.
