Summary
Indie game developer Fumi Games caught people’s attention with its upcoming FPSMouse.Mouseis reminiscent ofCuphead’s rubber hose animationwith its cartoon aesthetics, with the character design and black-and-white world also heavily influenced by Disney classics, likeSteamboat Willie. Meanwhile, the gameplay has been compared toDoom’s fast-paced combat, which Fumi Games has also acknowledged.
Slated for a 2025 release, many players already have high expectations forMouse. It’s not only a fresh take on the FPS genre, but its noir design also triggers a sense of nostalgia. Plus, if one looks closely atMouse’s gameplay trailer, they might notice some resemblance with anothericonic FPS franchise:BioShock.
BioShock Fans May Resonate With Mouse
InMouse, players will take the role of a private detective navigating a dangerous city teeming with gangsters, mobsters, and other evil entities. Armed with weapons and power-ups, his mission is to stop corrupt politicians from taking over the city. A scene in the gameplay trailer also shows a poster that reads “Forward to New America,” which features a uniformed mouse leader.
The plot ofMouseis similar to the firstBioShock, which is set in the underwater city of Rapture led by the egotistic Andrew Ryan. His vision was to create a utopian city to avoid government oversight and scrutiny. But after a civil war broke out in Rapture, Ryan became increasingly controlling and ruthless toward the citizens.
It’s also possible that Fumi Games used the concept of American exceptionalism inMouse, which is the belief that the United States is exemplary compared to other nations, often with the implication that it’s destined and entitled to play a positive role on the world stage.BioShockcreator Ken Levine also used this concept to tell the story ofBioShock Infinite, which is set in Columbia, a floating city-state that looks like an idealized version of America. Coincidentally,Mouse’s protagonist is also a detective likeBioShock Infinite’s Booker DeWitt.
Fumi Games specializes in cartoon-style games. It’s also developingGalaxi Taxi, a story-driven action-adventure featuring ’90s-style animation.
The “Forward to New America” poster inMouse’s trailer could be a hint that the corrupt politicians want to create a “perfect” city with some form of authoritarian rule. Just likeRapture and Columbia, the city inMousemight have fallen into disarray after gangs and criminals started terrorizing everyone. Plus, the beauty of playing a private detective means that players will uncover dark secrets as they progress through the story.
Amid the possible political discourse thatMousemay offer, the cartoon animation and antics will make the experience all the more unique. Apart from using a revolver and machine gun to eliminate foes, Fumi Games also incorporates slapstick cartoon elements, like punching enemies and crushing them with a suspended piano. There’s even an ability where the protagonist can shoot bullets out of his fingers, so it will be interesting to see what other abilities players can get in the game.
Meanwhile, they can also consume different food items, like a can of spinach a la Popeye, a block of cheese, and even smoke a cigar to either replenish their health or give them power-ups. These are just scratching the surface ofMouse’s plot and gameplay mechanics. Although it doesn’t seem to havePlasmid-like abilitiesjust like inBioShock,Mouse’s special power-ups add to the game’s quirkiness.
With more than a year or so left beforeMouse’s planned release, Fumi Games still has a lot of time to perfect the gameplay and story elements, especially since it uses 1930s rubber hose animation models for the entire game. Perhaps the developer can even introduce new characters and villains that will completeMouse’s universe in the coming months. It will be a long wait before players can get their hands onMouse, but hopefully, it will be worth it, especially for gamers waiting on aBioShocksequel.
BioShock Infinite (dupe)
WHERE TO PLAY
Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia. Forced to trust one another, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond during their daring escape. Together, they learn to harness an expanding arsenal of weapons and abilities, as they fight on zeppelins in the clouds, along high-speed Sky-Lines, and down in the streets of Columbia, all while surviving the threats of the air-city and uncovering its dark secret.The City in the Sky – Leave the depths of Rapture to soar among the clouds of Columbia. A technological marvel, the flying city is a beautiful and vibrant world that holds a very dark secret.Unlikely Mission – Set in 1912, hired gun Booker DeWitt must rescue a mysterious girl from the sky-city of Columbia or never leave it alive.Whip, Zip, and Kill – Turn the city’s Sky-Lines into weaponized roller coasters as you zip through the flying city and dish out fatal hands-on punishment.Tear Through Time – Open Tears in time and space to shape the battlefield and turn the tide in combat by pulling weapons, turrets, and other resources out of thin air.
