MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is a stylish first-person shooter, but the real trap for completionists is not the gunplay. It is the structure: most jobs cannot be replayed after you leave, side jobs can disappear if you push the story, and several collectibles or case clues matter more than they look at first. This walkthrough gives you a clean route through the campaign, the side jobs to accept before each mission, the biggest missable warnings, the puzzle codes players usually need, and a cleanup plan for all achievements without turning every room into a line-by-line checklist.
Spoiler warning: this guide names all main jobs, side jobs, several bosses, late-game locations, major collectibles, puzzle solutions, and the point of no return. If you are playing blind, use the mission order table and save advice first, then return when a specific case or collectible run starts to wobble.
Best First-Run Plan
- Play on the difficulty you can explore on. Achievements and trophies are not gated by difficulty in the verified roadmap references, so do not make a 100% run harder than it needs to be.
- Create a manual save before every main job. Keep older saves instead of overwriting the same slot, because there is no normal mission replay or New Game Plus cleanup route.
- After every case, return to the P.I. Office hub and talk to the visible NPCs before starting the next job. Tammy, Wanda, John Brown, Cornelius Stilton, Millie, Cameron Bozo, and certain in-mission NPCs can unlock side jobs.
- Collect every Newspaper, Comic, Baseball Card, Schematic, optional clue, and Secret Figurine you see. Some missed Newspapers, Comics, and Baseball Cards can be bought later, but clues, side-job rewards, Secret Figurines, and many route-specific pickups are much less forgiving.
- Do not spend all your money early. Baseball Cards, missed collectible buybacks, Baseball Card matches, and the X1 D-Mousifier route all need cash or tokens later.
- Use B.A.N.G. upgrades with intent. You need 72 Schematics to take every upgradeable weapon to tier 3, and readable references disagree on the exact maximum available after patches, but all agree there are more than enough if you open safes and explore.
- Before starting Jack Squat, stop. Finish side jobs, buy missing cards/comics/newspapers, play the Baseball Card games you need, spend Schematics, and keep a permanent hub save.
How Long and How Many Missions?
| Goal | Verified Guidance | What To Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Main story | Roughly 7-11 hours depending on pace and route familiarity. | Do not sprint through cases if you care about clues or collectibles. |
| 100% / platinum-style run | About 20 hours is a sensible estimate if you are following a checklist. | Most lost time comes from missed side jobs, missed clues, or replaying after the point of no return. |
| Main jobs | 24 main jobs, counting the prologue and final return to Big Mouse, Little Hope. | Several jobs have side jobs or optional clue photos attached to them. |
| Side jobs | 14 side jobs are tied to the Real Deal Gumshoe achievement. | Check the hub after pinning evidence. Some jobs are accepted inside the mission itself. |
| Steam achievements | 34 Steam achievements are visible publicly; PlayStation roadmaps list 35 trophies including the platinum. | Achievement names and percentages are visible on Steam, but PlayStation trophy counts include one extra platinum trophy. |
Mission Order and Side-Job Checklist
The route below is the safest way to think about the campaign. It is not a replacement for searching every shelf and vent, but it tells you when to stop and who to talk to before a mission locks you into a new area.
| # | Main Job | Before or During the Job | Completion Warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Mouse, Little Hope | Learn Brush navigation, tailpick logic, kicking, throwing, explosive barrels, and basic clue reading. | Use the tutorial pace to practice searching above and behind the main route. |
| 2 | The Vanishing Act | Start the Missing Magician case, search Bandel’s greenroom, and pick up early Newspapers, Comics, Baseball Cards, and Schematics. | Photograph and pin evidence carefully; the game teaches how easy it is to miss a clue. |
| 3 | Gumshoe in the Opera | Accept Show Some Culture, Jack from Tammy before leaving. Take the required opera photo during the mission. | Return the side job after the case. Also use this job to learn double-jump and stage hazard routing. |
| 4 | Bandel’s Laboratory | Explore the lab thoroughly and learn the B.A.N.G. upgrade flow afterward. | After this point, weapon upgrades start to matter. Do not ignore safes with Schematics. |
| 5 | A Bit of a Scene | Clear Clergy Row, photograph police evidence, solve the police-station lever panels, and grab the James Gun. | The police-station collectibles and optional safe are easy to miss if you only follow the Brush. |
| 6 | Cheeseball Sub | Accept Blueprints, Please from Tammy before entering the Old Subway. | Trains and enemy waves hide side routes; sweep behind stairs and ticket booths. |
| 7 | Once Upon a Time by Tinsel Bros | Accept The Things We Keep from Wanda before leaving. | Search the studio backlots before pressing the story route forward; several clues sit away from the Brush path. |
| 8 | A Bit of Curd and Pepper | Accept They Call It Azurro Burgerro from John Brown before going to Opera Ruins. | Some references name this page differently, but the job route is the Opera Ruins burger side job. |
| 9 | Saltwater Cambozo | Accept Imported Goods from Cornelius Stilton and Fishy Business from John Brown. Kick the Wallop Bay shark for Quint’s Delight. | Make a save at the start if you care about the shark achievement and Wallop Bay collectibles. |
| 10 | White Lies and Dark Secrets | Push the Curdsville investigation and collect case clues toward the Blue Betty thread. | The Kiss Kiss and later shotguns make shielded enemies easier; upgrade before longer fights. |
| 11 | Damp Evidence | Accept Perfect Bog Fondue from John Brown. Find all three Thingies before leaving the Far Wetlands. | Do not pick up every key or trigger every collapse before checking nearby notes, vents, and optional rooms. |
| 12 | Shrewd Shrews | Search The Depths, photograph the cage and chair clues, and use the secret door codes if you are cleaning optional rooms. | The mission has several high/low routes; save before long waterworks or pit sequences. |
| 13 | It All Points Here, Right? | Accept Oh Yes… They Float from Millie before leaving for the Secret Show. | Use Loose Cannon and explosives in tight alleys; the mission is kinder when you control crowds early. |
| 14 | To Catch a Mockingmouse | During the River Fever Line mission, pick up Between Alpha and Omega from the BMP Yes-Man and Mouseburg Confidential from the undercover agent. | These two jobs are easiest to lose because they are inside the mission, not a clean hub pickup. |
| 15 | The Bookkeeper by Tinsel Bros | Talk to Tammy before leaving to get Poster Girl. | Use typewriters before train-track and crane sequences; collectibles sit behind set dressing and roof paths. |
| 16 | Fatal Repulsions by Tinsel Bros | No major hub side job is required, but upgrade Jar-Head or your preferred boss weapon first. | The mission has split studio-set routes. Search the office set, swamp set, and flooded hallway before exiting. |
| 17 | Swamp Oddity | Push the Shrew Shortage case line through The Quagmire. | Boat sections, fire barrels, and flying shrews make it easy to miss wall collectibles after fights. |
| 18 | One Flew | Accept Behind the Nuts from Tammy before leaving. Use the Nuthouse piano solution when you reach the skeleton and piano. | This job transitions directly into the reversed Bandel mission, so sweep before taking the final lift. |
| 19 | ?Lednab Evets Si Lleh Eht Erehw | This is a direct continuation after One Flew, with no normal P.I. Office break. | Read the title backward if you want the joke, but treat the level as a full collectible mission. |
| 20 | Glugging From the Deep | Accept Slugs in the Shell from John Brown and Friends in Deep Places from Cameron Bozo before going to Fart Harbor. | After finishing this job and pinning evidence, Jack Squat opens. Make your big cleanup save here. |
| 21 | Jack Squat | Point of no return for the normal hub flow. Buy, upgrade, play cards, and save before starting. | Once you sleep/start the ruined-office route, you cannot rely on the P.I. Office for remaining cleanup. |
| 22 | The House of the Empty Mouse | Find all four Bandel notes if you want the optional objective and mansion context. | Complete the three-statue puzzle for a Secret Figurine and check the mansion garden before leaving. |
| 23 | Fair Enough | Use the B.A.N.G. box at the start if you still need final weapon upgrades. | World’s Fair 1934 is late enough that missed hub-only cleanup is already in danger. |
| 24 | Big Mouse, Little Hope Final | Return to the opening location with late-game abilities and finish the campaign. | The final Comic and Newspapers appear in this return route; do not assume the prologue is already fully done. |
Core Mechanics That Matter
The Brush Shows Progress, Not Completion
The Brush is excellent when you are lost, but it mostly points to progression. It will not reliably tell you about a comic behind a crate, a safe below stairs, a photo clue across a fence, a roof path, or a secret room behind a vent. Treat it as a compass for the next objective, then deliberately look away from it before you leave each area.
Typewriters Are Your Real Safety Net
Manual saves are the single best protection against MOUSE’s one-and-done mission structure. Save at the start of every job, before major bosses, before long chase or flood sections, and before leaving a level. If you find a side job item but still need collectibles, save in a new slot rather than overwriting your pre-mission file.
Clues Are Not Just Flavor
Case achievements depend on key clues and, in practice, several side jobs and optional clue photos. Photograph suspicious scenes even when the game does not force the shot. Pin everything at the evidence board when you return to the office, then talk to hub NPCs again. If an NPC has new dialogue, exhaust it before driving away.
B.A.N.G. Upgrades and Schematics
B.A.N.G. upgrades unlock after Bandel’s Laboratory. The important number is 72 Schematics: eight upgradeable weapons need nine Schematics each to reach tier 3. Readable references list more Schematics than required, though exact totals vary by guide and patch, so your practical rule is simple: open every safe you can, prioritize weapons you actually use, and keep collecting after your favorites are maxed.
Good first upgrades are the weapons that solve many fights quickly: Boomstick for close-range bursts, Loose Cannon for crowded alleys and explosive setups, James Gun or Kiss Kiss for sustained crowd pressure, and Jar-Head or Portable Freezer once the late-game route starts asking for heavier control.
Collectibles and Missables
| Collectible | Verified Count / Use | Missable Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Mouseburg Herald Newspapers | 38 issues for Extra! Extra! | Some missed issues can be bought later, but do not trust buyback for a blind run. Check benches, counters, offices, and corners after fights. |
| Comic Strips | 29 comics for The Prequel. | Often hidden in vents, behind breakable crates, above wall-run routes, or in rooms the Brush never needs. |
| Baseball Cards | 41 cards for Card Shark. | Several cards are shop-only or can be bought if missed. Save enough cash, and do not start the late-game point of no return before buying the final set. |
| Schematics | 72 needed for all tier-3 weapon upgrades. | Most are in safes, hidden rooms, or side paths. You can miss some and still finish upgrades, but do not skip safe rooms casually. |
| Secret Figurines | 10 tracked by community collectible guides; no Steam achievement was confirmed for the full set. | These are much less forgiving than cards/comics/newspapers because buyback is not a reliable option. |
| Optional and key clues | Needed for So, Whodunit? and case achievements. | Photograph clues when prompted, inspect suspicious notes, talk to side-job NPCs, and pin everything before leaving the hub. |
Side Jobs: What To Accept and Why
The safest habit is to do a hub lap after every evidence-board update: Tammy’s area, the Little & Big bar, Wanda, John Brown, Stilton, Millie, and Cameron Bozo when they appear. Side jobs are not just money errands. They can reward Schematics, Baseball Cards, tokens, and case progress.
| Side Job | When To Start | Main Objective / Reward Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Show Some Culture, Jack | Before Gumshoe in the Opera | Talk to Tammy, photograph the opera/audience scene during the mission, then turn it in for cash. |
| Blueprints, Please | Before Cheeseball Sub | Talk to Tammy and retrieve the hidden blueprints in the Old Subway. Reward references list token/schematic value depending on route. |
| The Things We Keep | Before Once Upon a Time | Talk to Wanda and search Tinsel Ave for her requested item/clue. Community notes say exact placement can vary, so search carefully. |
| They Call It Azurro Burgerro | Before A Bit of Curd and Pepper | Talk to John Brown, use the Opera Ruins hot spot to prepare the burger, then return for tokens. |
| Imported Goods | Before Saltwater Cambozo | Talk to Cornelius Stilton and find his merchandise at Wallop Bay for a cash reward. |
| Fishy Business | Before Saltwater Cambozo | Talk to John Brown and retrieve the herring/ledger item in the mission for a token reward. |
| Perfect Bog Fondue | Before Damp Evidence | Talk to John Brown and find all three Thingies in the Far Wetlands before returning. |
| Oh Yes… They Float | Before It All Points Here, Right? | Talk to Millie and retrieve Jeremiah’s balloon packs for a Baseball Card reward. |
| Between Alpha and Omega | During To Catch a Mockingmouse | Pick it up from the BMP Yes-Man inside the mission and photograph the target relationship proof. |
| Mouseburg Confidential | During To Catch a Mockingmouse | Pick it up from the undercover agent and photograph suspicious BMP members. |
| Poster Girl | Before The Bookkeeper by Tinsel Bros | Talk to Tammy, find the poster in Western Backlot, and return it for Schematics. |
| Behind the Nuts | Before One Flew | Talk to Tammy, use the C-A-G-E piano solution in Curdsville Nuthouse, photograph Gloria, and return for Schematics. |
| Slugs in the Shell | Before Glugging From the Deep | Talk to John Brown and pick up the sea slugs at Fart Harbor. |
| Friends in Deep Places | Before Glugging From the Deep | Talk to Cameron Bozo and check on his friend underwater for the final side-job cleanup route. |
Puzzle Codes and Stuck Points
A Bit of a Scene: Police Station Lever Panels
The police-station cellblock has two target-number panels. The progression target is 26, and the optional secret/safe target is 35. If the panel has the same lever values as the verified walkthrough reference, use these sequences:
| Panel | Target | Sequence | Reward / Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First control panel | 26 | +7, +7, +3, +3, +3, +3 | Opens the route toward the offices. |
| Second control panel | 35 | +6, +6, +6, +6, +6, +3, -2, +3, -2, +3 | Opens the optional room with a timed safe and Schematic. |
If a patch changes lever labels, do not overthink the old sequence. The real rule is to hit the target number exactly, then press the button.
Shrewd Shrews: The Depths Secret Door Codes
The Depths contains an optional four-digit secret door. The main story does not require every code, and the code list comes from readable community cross-checks rather than an official Steam page, so treat this as optional cleanup:
| Known Codes | Use |
|---|---|
| 1234, 0451, 2137, 3125 | Enter a code, pull the lever, collect the result, then try the next code. |
| 1920, 0316, 2019, 1224 | Useful for secret-room cleanup; one code may trigger an extra eerie visual event. |
One Flew: Early Locked Area and Piano
In the early Curdsville Nuthouse locked area, the wall-input number is 451. Later, while following the Millie sequence, play the piano notes C-A-G-E to lower the bridge for the Behind the Nuts side job route. Photograph Gloria in the cell, then turn the job in to Tammy when the story lets you return.
Damp Evidence: Perfect Bog Fondue
Perfect Bog Fondue asks for three Thingies. The practical route is to accept the job from John Brown before Damp Evidence, search the swamp and mine loops before the mansion, pick up the mansion-side item before the Foyer Key collapse, and grab the final item near the boat/cheeselegger route before the mission-ending boss. If you reach the office without all three, fall back to your pre-mission save.
Glugging From the Deep: The Cleanup Save
Glugging From the Deep is the last comfortable place to finish hub work. Accept both Slugs in the Shell and Friends in Deep Places before leaving. After Ze Professor, return to the P.I. Office, turn in both side jobs, pin your evidence, check the shop, play Baseball Card matches, and save. Starting Jack Squat is the big structural break.
Achievement Roadmap
For a one-run completion route, think of the achievements in six groups instead of chasing names at random.
| Group | Key Achievements | Best Route |
|---|---|---|
| Story and cases | Tip of the Cheeseberg, So, Whodunit?, Smoked Cheese and Mirrors, Tinsel Boulevard, Our Lesser Brothers | Collect and pin every clue, complete side jobs as they appear, and do not rush the board after returning to the office. |
| Side jobs | Dime Novel Sleuth, Real Deal Gumshoe | Use the side-job table above. The two in-mission jobs during To Catch a Mockingmouse are the easiest to overlook. |
| Collectibles | Extra! Extra!, The Prequel, Card Shark, Comic Relief, Starter Deck, Babe Got Bat | Search every mission, then buy back missing Newspapers, Comics, and Baseball Cards before Jack Squat. |
| Weapons and upgrades | Guns, Lots of Guns, This is My Boomstick!, We’ll B.A.N.G., ok?, Everybody Loves Rayguns | Collect every non-corporate-locked weapon, spend 72 Schematics for all tier-3 upgrades, and use Baseball Card tokens for the X1 D-Mousifier. |
| Baseball Card game | Pocket Aces, S’all in the Cards, Everybody Loves Rayguns | Wait until you have a strong deck, ban weak cards, save money, and win 30 matches. You need tokens for the special weapon route. |
| Combat counters | Goud’em!, M-m-muenster Kill!, Hole-y Trinity, Firestarter, Boom Town, Spike-D 16 TONS | Farm early arenas with explosive barrels, thrown/kicked barrels, heavy dropped objects, and crowded enemy waves. Reloading a save can help. |
Baseball Cards and the X1 D-Mousifier
Baseball Cards matter twice: collecting all 41 cards earns Card Shark, and winning Baseball Card matches earns progress toward S’all in the Cards plus tokens for the X1 D-Mousifier. The game charges cash per match, and card buybacks or booster cards can get expensive, so save money throughout the campaign.
For the card game, keep it boring and efficient. Ban your weakest cards when the game lets you, use discards to hunt for higher value hands, and play boosters when the opponent’s numbers threaten a tie or a loss. Do most of the grind late, when your deck is stronger and you have enough cash to absorb bad rounds. Make a save before a long card-game session so a losing streak does not also wreck your shop economy.
Combat Tips That Save Resources
- Explosive barrels: shooting barrels counts for Firestarter-style progress, while throwing or kicking them counts differently. If you are cleaning achievements, separate those methods instead of mixing them randomly.
- Shield enemies: kick or reposition them before unloading. Loose Cannon, Kiss Kiss, and hot-pepper power spikes are much better than wasting pistol ammo into shields.
- Flying shrews: kill them before platforming. They turn easy jumps into repeated chip damage.
- Heavy objects: look up in arena rooms. Suspended props can crush enemies and help with Spike-D 16 TONS.
- Boss fights: keep one reliable burst weapon and one crowd-control weapon upgraded. Several late fights are less about raw aim and more about clearing hazards fast enough to stay mobile.
- Money: break crates and search side rooms even after fights. Cash is not glamorous, but cards, buybacks, and late cleanup all punish poor spending.
Late-Game Cleanup Order
Use this order after Glugging From the Deep, before starting Jack Squat:
- Turn in Slugs in the Shell and Friends in Deep Places.
- Pin every clue on the evidence board and check whether case achievements unlock.
- Talk to every hub NPC one more time.
- Buy any missing Baseball Cards, Newspapers, or Comics that the shops offer.
- Play enough Baseball Card matches for tokens, Pocket Aces, S’all in the Cards, and the X1 D-Mousifier route.
- Spend Schematics on every tier-3 weapon upgrade you still need.
- Make a permanent manual save in the hub.
- Start Jack Squat only when you are ready to enter the finale chain.
There is one nuance: some community achievement routes warn about a later World’s Fair 1934 start as another practical cutoff for certain card cleanup. The safer rule is stricter and easier to remember: do all hub cleanup before Jack Squat. That prevents most problems without needing to reason about which exact late-game transition blocks which shop or office service.
Finale Notes
Jack Squat begins the ruined-office route. It still contains collectibles, including Schematics and a Comic, but it is no longer normal free cleanup. The House of the Empty Mouse adds mansion puzzles, Bandel notes, the Portable Freezer route, a three-statue Secret Figurine puzzle, and more Schematics. Fair Enough gives you another B.A.N.G. chance at the start and introduces late movement/arena pressure. The final Big Mouse, Little Hope return uses late-game abilities to reach collectibles that were not available in the prologue.
Do not mentally check out during the finale. The last Comics and Newspapers still matter, and if you only chase the boss, you can finish the story with a save that is not useful for cleanup.
Sources and Credits
Official metadata and screenshots were checked against the MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Steam page and Steam appdetails data. Route, puzzle, side-job, and achievement details were cross-checked against the official guide hub at mousepiforhire.com/guides/, verified walkthrough references, and readable community guides. Public screenshots in this article are official Steam media from Fumi Games and PlaySide. No YouTube video was embedded because no supplied YouTube source was verified for title, channel, and relevance.
