If you like the fun, rubber hose style of old Disney cartoons, but you wish they were more violent, this may be one for you. Mouse is an upcoming FPS that styles itself off these retro cartoons, and developer Fumi Games has just released a gameplay trailer for it.
Taking direct inspiration from the animated shows and noir films of a bygone era, Mouse combines high-octane first-person shooting with the goofy antics of these ancient toons. From what can be seen in the trailer, it looks like there’s even some blood for that added sense of mindless violence. You can wishlist the game right now.
The studio describes Mouse thus:
With guns blazing and a retro rubber hose animation style, battle your way through a corrupt city full of crooks and danger.
It’s like Mickey Mouse meets Edward G Robinson
At the moment, there’s no exact release date, but Fumi is aiming to launch in 2025. While the trailer says it’s “early gameplay footage,” it’s looking pretty good so far. A post on Steam says the team is “aiming to make sure to have the best game possible!”
There aren’t many video games like this. The most obvious example that comes to mind is Cuphead, which goes for that rubbery style of animation, but in a more fun – albeit brutally challenging – context. Then there’s Bendy and the Ink Machine, which leans way more into the horror aspects, but clearly takes inspiration from this era of cartoons.
It’s nice that we live in a time when 1930s cartoons can be reborn as gritty shooters. There’s a kind of fast-paced action to Mouse that seems like what Steamboat Willie would be like, if it was remade by Quentin Tarantino.
