If you find the concept of battling supernatural entities as a team of ordinary individuals in Ghostbusters a bit passé, then perhaps taking on these entities as a mouse might pique your interest. Mousebusters, a point-and-click adventure game crafted by Japanese indie studio Odencat, begins with you, once a regular human, waking up in your new apartment as a mouse. After encountering a fellow rodent dubbed the “Chief,” you learn that you are under a curse, and the only path to regaining your humanity is to rid the entire building of ghosts.
The gameplay involves exploring your neighbors’ apartments, locating the ghost residing within, and banishing it using your ray gun.
Each room kicks off with a bit of investigation. With the Chief communicating to you via a mouse-sized headset, you navigate and interact with objects to uncover the source of the tenant’s negative emotions, which attract the ghost. While the Chief offers helpful tips on interactive items, puzzles, and minigames, he also delivers plenty of comedic relief (it’s worth noting that the Chief’s Japanese dialogue is delivered with a strong Kansai dialect).
Once you’ve pinpointed the source, it’s time to wield your ray gun and engage in what the game terms “EEB” (Exciting Exorcism Battles). You’ll partake in 2D battles where the objective is to deplete a ghost’s health while ensuring you deflect and counter their attacks. Those seeking a challenge will be pleased to learn that multiple difficulty modes are available.
As you dispatch more ghosts and delve deeper into the building, you’ll soon uncover that there’s more to this curse than meets the eye. The trailer’s final moments reveal unsettling scenes featuring a cat with a human-like face, tenants tormented by ghosts, and a mouse emerging from a bizarre, flesh-like orifice.
Originally launched on iOS and Android devices, Mousebusters is scheduled to arrive on June 11 for Windows, macOS, and SteamOS + Linux via Steam. A free demo is available for download.