STACK #261 July 2026

GAMING FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

Where’s the cheese? We knew that Mateusz must have a favourite cheese pun from the game, and it is... “Cheese-Louise, lady! You're in pieces!”

GENRE: Shooter MULTIPLAYER: No

FORMAT:

fun, and it’s difficult to list a favourite! There are notable guns, like the Devarnisher, which fires balls of turpentine that melt the skin of enemies, or even the Jar Head, which unleashes psionic waves that can pop their heads. You nabbed voiceover superstarTroy Baker to voice the main character, Jack Pepper. What was he like to work with? Troy Baker was fantastic to work with. He was someone we long had in mind for the role, and our Australian publisher, PlaySide Studios, helped us to secure his involvement. As soon as we heard him in the booth, we immediately knew that he was the perfect choice. Finding the voice of Jack Pepper was quite a collaborative process. Yes, we did have an idea of what we wanted - a hard-boiled, grizzled detective and war veteran from New York who sounded like he ate a few too many cheese sticks. Troy then took the ball and ran with it, quickly leading to the voice you hear in the game today. The jazzy, swingy musical accompaniment is a blast. How did you go about scoring it? Working closely with Damian Czajka, our lead audio designer, the goal was simple: compose music that danced around the player's moves. To get an authentic sound, we assembled a band with various instruments, including saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, grand piano, bass, and even drums. What do you most hope that players take away from their time with Mouse: P.I. for Hire ? The main message that we always wanted fans and players to take away was that Mouse: P.I. for Hire is more than just a fancy art project. Yes, we completely understand that the initial hook for many is the art style, but we also poured so much of ourselves into every aspect of the game - it’s a handcrafted tale born of ink, sweat, and stubborn dreams, and we hope

Classic animation style and full-on FPS action meet in the super-fun Mouse: P.I. for Hire . As it hits physical media this month, we had a chat with Mateusz Michalak, the CEO and co-founder of Fumi Games, to peek behind the scenes of how their baby came to be. Words Amy Flower SQUEAK-EASY!

The first-person shooter genre was ripe for a 1930s, Prohibition era-set outing – but doing it in the rubbery animation style of the time? Brilliant! Please, tell us more about how the idea to go the FPS route in such a humorous style came about… The history of Fumi Games is rooted in animation. We always wanted to make a video game that utilised the rubber hose style of the 1930s, and we were particularly inspired by the era’s more violent classic cartoons, such as Popeye the Sailor and Bimbo by Fleischer Studios, to name some examples. Equally, we are also huge fans of the FPS genre, especially boomer shooters like DOOM , Quake , and Blood . So, we asked ourselves at the time, “Why has nobody made a game which combines the two?”. This is how the initial idea for Mouse: P.I. for Hire came about, and the rest is history! Does working in black and white throw up any interesting challenges? Developing a video game entirely in black and

white is certainly challenging, particularly when using 2D sprites in a 3D world space. We needed to carefully utilise lighting, shadows, movement, audio, and other elements so that “readability” was as clear as possible. For instance, in-game items that aren’t interactable are typically obscured in shadow and “coloured” a bit darker, whereas interactable items are brighter and exhibit bouncing rubber hose movement. Strategic lighting and signage are also used to direct players through the world, and we even implemented a directional helper called the “Detective Brush”, which directs players where to go next. In combat specifically, to help enemies stand out more they're animated in flat 2D utilising rubber hose, which is juxtaposed against a 3D environment utilising a slightly different art style. Was it fun coming up with the cartoonish weapons arsenal? Do you have a favourite? Designing all the weapons was incredibly

players can see that by the time the credits roll!

• Mouse: P.I. for Hire is out Jul 10

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Cuphead, Splatoon 3, DOOM: The Dark Ages

14 JULY 2026

jbhifi.com.au