"Thanks for the inspiration, Henry Cavill": Viral FPS metroidvania riffs on an iconic Mission: Impossible moment to introduce its beefed-up boss

One of the bosses in the upcoming first-person shooter metroidvania Mouse: P.I. For Hire was inspired by Henry Cavill's portrayal of Mission: Impossible Fallout antagonist August Walker.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is one of the more original looking shooters on the horizon, sporting an aesthetic that looks like it hitched a ride on one of those anthropomorphic steam trains all the way back to 1929. It's definitely one way to get some attention on what appears to be a genuinely inventive FPS/metroidvania hybrid, even beneath its Golden Age cartoon surface.

Anyway, developer Fumi Games revealed a new Mouse: P.I. For Hire boss in a brief Twitter clip today, and in so revealed Cavill's yoked antagonist as the main inspiration.

"Meet Reginald Shingler, just one of the bosses you'll meet in MOUSE: P.I. For Hire," reads the tweet. "Thanks for the inspiration, Henry Cavill."

The clip shows Reginald doing a similar arm shuffle to August Walker in the 2018 action film Mission: Impossible Fallout, not to mention sporting a similar hairstyle and bulging biceps.

If it wasn't instantly recognizable visually, you'll probably remember Mouse: P.I. For Hire for going viral on TikTok and elsewhere in 2023, after its lead programmer started posting gameplay videos online.

Although Mouse: P.I. For Hire has nothing to do with the Mickey Mouse intellectual property, much of its more recent marketing has coincided with the historic transfer of the IP to public domain, almost certainly helping to bolster Mouse: P.I. For Hire's virality. The game is due out on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2, and PC in 2025.

Will it join the ranks of the best FPS games ever made? Only time will tell.