MOUSE: P.I. For Hire: To Catch A Mockingmouse Walkthrough

For To Catch a Mockingmouse, the clean route is simple once you know the mission’s gates: get onto the steamboat, secure the BMP membership card, show it to the bouncer, use the hidden wall crack and vent route to reach the kitchen area, take the photo of Cpt. Simms, then beat the plane phase with the deck cannons before running to the wheelhouse during the sinking-ship escape.

This is one of the more scripted chapters in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire. If you get stuck, it is usually for one of four reasons: you missed the BMP membership card, you are trying to progress through obvious doors instead of the hidden route, you are shooting Cpt. Simms’ plane with normal weapons, or you are wasting time during the escape instead of following the objective path. Among the game’s Walkthroughs, Quests & Objectives chains, this mission stands out because it changes rules several times in one chapter.

Mission flow at a glance

• Board and move through the steamboat sequence.
• Get the BMP membership card.
• Return to the bouncer and use the card to enter the event.
• Take the hidden route through the hallway, left room, wall crack, and vent.
• Reach the kitchen area and photograph Cpt. Simms.
• Survive the deck fight and use the cannons to bring down the plane.
• Escape the burning, sinking ship by heading for the wheelhouse.

Step 1: Get past the BMP membership gate

The party entrance is not open by default. The bouncer interaction is a real key-item check, so if you walk up empty-handed you are not missing a dialogue branch or combat trigger. You need the BMP membership card first, then you need to return and present it.

The practical takeaway is that you should stop trying to force progress at the entrance if the bouncer turns you away. Backtrack through the steamboat lead-up and search the areas tied to the main route until you find the card. This mission wants you to solve entry through infiltration, not through combat or free exploration. Once you have the card, go straight back to the bouncer and clear the gate so the rest of the chapter can unfold properly.

If you are also tracking the Shrew Shortage investigation, this is the point where the mission starts feeling less like a normal corridor shootout and more like a staged detective set piece. Getting the card is the chapter’s first hard checkpoint.

Step 2: Use the hidden traversal route to reach the photo objective

After the event opens up, the route to Cpt. Simms is intentionally indirect. The progression path most players miss is the hallway route: move into the hallway, enter the room on the left, squeeze through the crack in the wall, then use the vent to reach the kitchen area. If you are wandering in circles around normal doors, you are probably already standing near the correct path and just overlooking the wall opening.

This matters because To Catch a Mockingmouse uses environmental traversal as the real puzzle. The game does not always advance you through the most obvious doorway. The left-hand room, wall crack, and vent chain is the designed answer. Treat it like a stealthy backstage route instead of expecting a big marked entrance.

If you want the cleanest run, slow down here and scan corners, broken surfaces, and vent access points before you assume the route is bugged. Public guide coverage is very consistent on this section, which usually means the hidden path is the intended skill check rather than an optional shortcut.

Side quest: Between Alpha And Omega – BMP Yes-Man

This mission also overlaps with the side quest often labeled Between Alpha And Omega – BMP Yes-Man. The key reward mentioned across walkthrough coverage is 50 bucks after you return with the required picture. If you are doing side content or collectible cleanup, handle this while you are already moving through the event and kitchen sections. That keeps the route efficient and avoids extra backtracking later in the chapter.

Step 3: Photograph Cpt. Simms and make sure the objective updates

Once the hidden route puts you in position, the goal is not just to spot Cpt. Simms. You need the incriminating photo. Take the picture and wait for the mission objective to update before you move on. In chapters like this, visual confirmation is not enough if the game is waiting for the actual photo trigger.

If the next phase does not start, double-check that you used the correct angle or prompt and that the mission log advanced. This is a small step, but it is the pivot that turns the chapter from infiltration into a full combat set piece.

Step 4: Beat Cpt. Simms’ plane fight with the deck cannons

This boss section is where a lot of failed attempts happen. Cpt. Simms attacks from a plane, and the fight is built around avoidance first, damage second. Your normal weapons are not the answer here. The intended solution is to use the two cannons on the level.

The plane drops explosives that are briefly marked on the floor before they detonate. That marker is your real warning system. As soon as you see it, move. Do not commit to long firing windows when bombs are landing around the cannon platforms, because the encounter keeps pressure on you with BMP enemies spawning in during the fight.

The safest rhythm is to clear nearby adds, reposition, then take a cannon shot when the plane commits to a pass. The cannons have travel time, so aim ahead of the plane instead of placing the reticle directly on it. That lead is the main skill check. If your shots look like they are passing behind the target, you are not leading enough. If you wait until the plane is already crossing your sightline, you are also too late.

• Keep moving whenever bomb markers appear on deck.
• Use normal weapons for BMP enemies, not for the plane.
• Only step onto a cannon after creating a small safety window.
• Lead cannon shots in front of the plane’s path.
• If you miss once, reset your position instead of panic-firing.

Think of this less as a raw DPS test and more as arena control. The adds exist to punish tunnel vision. If you focus only on the plane, you get swarmed. If you spend too long clearing enemies, the plane keeps dropping explosives and stretches the fight out. You want short, controlled damage opportunities from whichever cannon gives you the cleaner line.

Step 5: Escape the sinking steamboat fast

After enough cannon hits, the plane crashes into the boat. That is the hard transition into the final escape. The ship catches fire and starts sinking, so this is not a loot lap or optional cleanup window. Get moving immediately.

The route described consistently in walkthrough coverage is to head via the ground floor, follow the detective brush or path indicator, and make for the wheelhouse. One version of the sequence also mentions a dying crew member who points you toward the wheelhouse and the emergency inflatable plane. Even if you miss that dialogue beat in the chaos, the destination stays the same: do not linger on the upper deck, and do not keep searching for another combat phase.

If you feel lost during the fire and flooding, trust the objective guidance over your memory of the earlier exploration route. Escape sequences in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire are built to funnel you quickly once the set piece starts.

Collectibles and cleanup notes

There is strong agreement that this mission contains side content and collectibles, but the exact per-mission item counts are not fully consistent across public guide coverage. So if you are playing for 100%, treat the party spaces, side rooms, and kitchen-adjacent route as your main sweep points before triggering the final combat escalation. Do not assume the sinking-ship phase will let you tidy up loose items afterward.

Common mistakes that waste the most time

• Trying to enter the event without the BMP membership card.
• Ignoring the left room, wall crack, and vent route to the kitchen.
• Assuming seeing Cpt. Simms is enough without taking the photo.
• Shooting the plane with normal guns instead of using the cannons.
• Aiming cannon shots directly at the plane instead of leading them.
• Stopping to explore after the crash instead of running to the wheelhouse.

If progress stalls anywhere in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – To Catch A Mockingmouse, check the chapter in this order: BMP membership card, hidden kitchen route, photo trigger, cannon damage on Simms’ plane, then wheelhouse escape.