Nostalgic charm and the re-rise of Rubber Hose Animation

Many studios in the industry seem to be leaning heavily into game mechanics and aesthetics that remind us of being a kid and we can’t help but take the nostalgic bait, even if it comes from way before our time. Rubber Hose Animation is one such trend that is making a return to mainstream media.  

We’re not only seeing this nostalgic trend in gaming but we’re seeing it across streaming services re-introducing animation classics in the hopes of reaching younger audiences. Conspicuously, we’ve seen a flooding of works and styles that have recently reached Public Domain, such as Disney’s Steamboat Willie.  

PlaySide Studios’ and (developer) Fumi Games’ released Mouse P.I. For Hire on the 16th April with a projected 360,000 units of sales after reaching over 1.5 million wishlists a week before release. The black and white, noir-fueled detective first person shooter features Rubber Hose Animation, the style that Studio MDHR made re-appealing in 2017 with their hugely successful release—CUPHEAD.  

Okay so, at this point you’re probably wondering “what the heck is Rubber Hose Animation”? 

Put simply: characters with arms and legs that bend like rubber hoses. Common features of this 1920-30s style animation include expressive and exaggerated movements, which artists used to create a visual identity that could be produced quickly. This style was popular in American cartoon characters such as Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse and Popeye. I know we’re all suddenly recalling the animation of Mickey Mouse whistling on a steamboat? Surely.  

Back to Mouse P.I. For Hire… a detective mouse—Jack Pepper, voiced by Troy Baker (of Uncharted, and TLOU fame), so much to see here. In fact, with over 54,000 hand-drawn individual frames of animation this game lands itself in the rising popularity of hand-drawn games that are flooding the market.  

Is this game similar to CUPHEAD? Yes and no. Mouse P.I. For Hire is not merely a clever pastiche or trend hop of the popular 2017 co-op platformer. While definitely inspired by it, as admitted by PlaySide CEO, the new title creates a tone of modern gaming with its FPS mechanics in a nostalgic classic-cartoon style adventure, all included in around 20ish hours of highly-praised gameplay.  

If you can’t get enough of this animation style after no-life-ing Mouse P.I. For Hire, why not jump into more Rubber Hose Animation style games? We’ve curated a little list of notable titles for you:  
 

Kalit  
A beautiful open world survival craft game with hand-drawn rubber hose animation style interwoven into 3D environments. If you love Valheim, you might love Kalit, demo out now.  
 

Escape by Spoon 
We uncovered this game from Reddit, and Reddit users can do no wrong. You are quite literally a mouse escaping a prison and your only tool is a spoon. Chaotic. Charming. We can’t wait! The Steam page states it’s “coming soon”. One for your wishlists definitely.  
 

Into the Unwell 
Another game uncovered from Reddit, and all we can say is WOW. This hand-drawn action roguelike looks stunning! Coming soon to early access.  

Have we missed any other notable Rubber Hose Animation titles? Also, which would be more effective for escaping a prison, a fork or a spoon? Let us know in the comments!