MOUSE: P.I. For Hire vs planet of lana 2 children of the leaf
A 12-hour hand-drawn shooter that stales versus a 6-hour hand-painted puzzle that stays tight — pick your patience.
Updated 14d ago
Stylish cartoon noir that's worth playing for the hand-drawn world, but the combat stales and detective work is thin — rent it before you buy.
Surpasses Planet of Lana (2023) on every axis — Wishfully's hand-painted sequel deserves the 86% recommend if you have 6 hours and patience for slow puzzles.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 26; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 26.
| Measure | MOUSE: P.I. For Hire | planet of lana 2 children of the leaf |
|---|---|---|
| Value Too close to call | ||
| Price now | $19.99 −33% · AllYouPlay | $13.99 −30% · Humble Store |
| All-time low | $19.99 | $9.90 |
| Cost / hour | $1.65/hr $19.99 · 12 h main story | $2.25/hr $13.99 · 6 h main story |
| Off its low | At its low low was Oct 2026 | +41% low was Oct 2026 |
| Main story | 12 h | 6 h |
| Health Too close to call | ||
| Steam reviews | 94% 16k reviews | 92% 1k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 90% 386 votes · vs 94% lifetime | 98% 50 votes · vs 92% lifetime · improving |
| Peak players | 504 Sep 2026 · ↓ 40% MoM | 48 Sep 2026 · ↑ 2% MoM |
| Launch peak | 4% of Apr 2026 launch peak · as of Sep 2026 | 15% of Mar 2026 launch peak · as of Sep 2026 |
| All-time peak | 13,723 Apr 2026 | 319 Mar 2026 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 3 months ago | 5 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 1 in last 90 days | 0 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Platinum |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
Rubber-hose animation and jazz soundtrack keep long-time fans hooked; cheese puns and Troy Baker's voice acting are the recurring praise.
Wave-based combat grows old after a few hours; the detective premise fades as levels turn into linear corridor shooting.
from our August 2026 verdict
planet of lana 2 children of the leaf
The expanded underwater exploration and chase sequences are what fans of the first game keep replaying the sequel for.
The increased puzzle difficulty and the open-ended cliffhanger ending frustrate even dedicated players.
from our May 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick MOUSE: P.I. For Hire if
- You love Cuphead's 1930s rubber-hose art and want it in an FPS
- You can forgive repetitive arena waves for a stylish 12-hour campaign
- You want a shooter with a story-heavy, linear structure
Pick planet of lana 2 children of the leaf if
- You finished Planet of Lana and want denser puzzles plus a darker mid-game
- You have only a weekend and want a couch-friendly single-player under 8 hours
- You prefer atmospheric puzzle-platformers like Inside over action shooters
Bottom line
Pick MOUSE if you value hand-drawn 1930s style enough to tolerate stale arenas; pick Planet of Lana 2 if you'd rather have a tighter 6-hour puzzle with no filler.