Mouse: P.I. For Hire drops you into Mouseburg as Jack Pepper, an ex-cop drowning in debt who takes on the city's corruption one case at a time. The game splits its story across three major investigations, each with its own chain of missions, side jobs, and secrets worth tracking down. Whether you're chasing a missing magician, looking into vanishing shrews, or untangling a suspicious actress death, there's always more going on beneath the surface than the initial briefing suggests.
Jack Pepper's P.I. office
What cases does Mouse: P.I. For Hire include?
The game organizes its story into three main investigations plus a short unlockable job and a final stretch that ties everything together. Here's the full breakdown:
That's a substantial amount of content, and the missions don't always telegraph what's coming next. Keeping track of which arc you're in helps you stay oriented as Mouseburg's layers pile up.
The Missing Magician: where does the story begin?
This is Jack's first major case. A famous and wealthy magician has gone missing under circumstances that don't add up, and Jack takes the job to start paying off his debt. The arc runs through six missions:
- Big Mouse, Little Hope (opening chapter)
- The Vanishing Act
- Gumshoe in the Opera
- Bandel's Laboratory
- Saltwater Cambozo
- Where the Hell is Steve Bandel?
The case builds steadily, with each mission expanding the suspect pool and pointing toward something bigger than a simple disappearance. For a detailed breakdown of the opening chapter, the Big Mouse, Little Hope walkthrough covers both comics, every safe combination, and the blimp chase sequence that caps the mission.
Tracking clues in The Vanishing Act
Shrew Shortage: what's happening to the shrews?
Running parallel to the magician case, Shrew Shortage sends Jack into the local police force to figure out where shrews are disappearing and who's responsible. This arc has the most missions in the game at 10:
- A Bit of a Scene
- Cheeseball Sub
- Blueprints, Please (side job)
- Saltwater Cambozo
- Damp Evidence
- Shrewd Shrews
- Swamp Oddity
- To Catch a Mockingmouse
- One Flew
- Glugging From the Deep
The police corruption angle gives this arc a different tone from the magician mystery. Expect more confrontational scenarios and environments that push back harder than the earlier missions.
Blue Betty: is Betty Lynch's death really an accident?
When Vivian McCarthy walks into Jack's office with a serious allegation, the third major case opens up. She believes her friend, famous actress Betty Lynch, was murdered despite the official ruling of an accident. The Blue Betty arc runs seven missions:
- "Once Upon a Time..." by Tinsel Bros.
- The Things We Keep (side job)
- A Bit of Curd and Pepper
- White Lies and Dark Secrets
- It All Points Here, Right?
- "The Bookkeeper" by Tinsel Bros.
- "Fatal Repulsion" by Tinsel Bros.
The Tinsel Bros. missions stand out structurally. They're film-themed and carry a different visual rhythm from the rest of the game, which fits the Hollywood-adjacent subject matter of Betty Lynch's world.
If you're hunting collectibles while working through these missions, the all comics collectible locations guide covers all 29 comics across every mission, including the ones tucked into Blue Betty's Tinsel Bros. levels.
Tinsel Bros. film set mission
How does The Final Stretch work?
The last four missions bring Jack's open cases to a close. These aren't separate investigations; they're the resolution of everything built up across the previous arcs:
- Jack Squat
- The House of the Empty Mouse
- Fair Enough
- Big Mouse, Little Hope 2
The return to Big Mouse, Little Hope in the finale is intentional. The case that opened the game closes it, and the second visit hits differently once you know what Jack knows. Don't rush through these missions expecting a quick wrap-up.
Jack Squat opens the finale
Collectibles and secrets worth tracking
Mouse: P.I. For Hire rewards thorough players with a solid set of collectibles spread across every mission. The main categories to track:
- Jack Pepper figurines (10 total, hidden throughout missions)
- Mouseburg Herald newspapers (38 total across every mission)
- Comics (29 total, tied to The Prequel achievement)
Each of these has dedicated guides worth bookmarking before you start a mission rather than after. The figurines in particular require solving specific puzzles to reach, so going in blind on your first run means backtracking. Check the all Jack Pepper figurine locations guide for exact positions and puzzle solutions across all 10.
Newspapers are the easiest collectible to miss because they blend into environmental detail. Slow down whenever you enter a new room and check corners and desks before triggering any scripted sequences that might lock you out of an area.
What else should you know before starting?
A few things that save time across the whole playthrough:
- Weapon upgrades unlock through B.A.N.G., not naturally through story progression. Complete that job early.
- Side jobs are not optional in practice. They provide context and items that the main missions reference.
- The two major cases overlap at Saltwater Cambozo, so don't be confused when a mission appears in both arc lists.
- Some environmental puzzles, like the cell block lever sequence in Clergy Row, have specific solutions that aren't signposted well. The cell block lever puzzle guide covers both door sequences if you get stuck.
For the full collection of mission guides, tips, and secrets, the Mouse: P.I. For Hire guide collection has everything organized by mission and category.