Well, it’s happened again. A mouse has somehow made its way into our abode, and I have been tasked to capture it. So far, my trap has come up empty, despite all the tasty peanut butter and chocolate chips that I’ve stashed inside. I thought maybe it had left on its own, but clues remained that the rivalrous rodent was still at large.
I needed a distraction from the hunt, so “squeak squeak!” Here are the Top Ten instances of mice in video games!
10) Earthbound
(SNES, 1994)
Lost in the depths of a dungeon and don’t want to battle your way back outside? Call upon the trusty Exit Mouse! Like the Teleport spells in Final Fantasy games, the exit mouse will make the trip instantaneous, so you’re not having to risk a rough run-in with some Criminal Caterpillars.
9) Claymates
(SNES, 1993)
Yet another opportunity to write about Claymates! Oozy the mouse is the first animal form that our hero Clayton can assume once collecting a gray glob of clay. His speed is a massive step up from the rolling blob from which you start. Like that other speedy rodent out there, though, this can become his greatest weakness as you accidentally run head-first into the nearest enemy!
8) Little Nemo: The Dream Master
(NES, 1990)
One of Nemo’s many candy-addicted animal friends, the mouse can not only climb walls, but it also comes with its own wall-smashing mallet! Where did the mallet come from? All mice have them, obviously.
7) Diddy Kong Racing
(N64, 1997)
My personal pick for when I play Diddy Kong Racing, Pipsy the mouse has some of the best acceleration in the game, and gosh she’s so darn cute, too! Apparently, she was originally slated for use in her own game, but the project never moved forward. So, off to the races with ya!
6) Mappy
(Arcade, 19983)
New flash: mouse dedicates years of life in police academy in order to get revenge on cats. This is the plot of Mappy, a police-mouse who protects a mansion from thievery. Is this what’s happening in my house? I know you’re out there, mousy, just trying to make sure no one takes my Nintendo Switch. Bless you.
5) Little Sampson
(NES, 1992)
The best Capcom game I’ve ever stumbled upon, Little Samson calls upon the powers of different animals to navigate the obstacles before him. K.O. the mouse is good for getting through tight spaces and climbing surfaces – oh yeah, and he can DROP BOMBS, too. Now this is one mouse I definitely don’t want in my home.
4) Rodent’s Revenge
(Windows, 1991)
Not quite Mappy-level revenge going on here, but this rodent combines the block pushing elements of Lolo along with the sadistic murder techniques used by players of The Sims. To win, our mouse must trap all the cats in their own spaces while avoiding holes, ball of yarn, and traps. The reward: cheese. So much cheese.
3) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
(Gamecube, 2004)
We’ve all heard of cat burglars… well, now we have a mouse burglar! Ms. Mowz is on her own personal quest to collect badges which she steals around the world to sell at her Lovely Howz of Badges. If you play your cards right, you can recruit her as an optional character where she has a nose for sniffing out collectibles. I think they avoided a lawsuit from Disney by not calling her shop the “Howz of Mowz.”
2) Super Mario Bros 2 (USA)
(NES, 1988)
Guardian of World 1, World 3 and World 5, Mouser proves that Nintendo needs to come up with more bosses in their games. His main attack, of course, is bombs which we already learned was a common thing for mice according to Little Samson. I always loved his character design, but I never owned Super Mario Bros 2 as a kid. So, most of my love for the game and the characters came from other media.
I still have this super cool “Sticker Activity Album” which pulled a lot from Mario 2. See below for Mouser’s design from the book!
Honorable Mentions:
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
(SNES, 1996)
Ducktales
(NES, 1989)
Mario Paint
(SNES, 1992)
1) Kirby: Squeak Squad
(Nintendo DS, 2006)
Move over Ms. Mowz, another group of treasure-hungry thieves are causing chaos in Dream Land! When Kirby learns that King Dedede is not behind a recent spree of crimes (mainly the crime of stealing his strawberry shortcake before he could eat it), he tracks down the dastardly gang known as the Squeaks! Not only do the Squeaks earn our #1 spot today, but they’ve also given me a great idea for a future a cappella group name.
Thanks for stopping by to read my article! Can you think of other mice in gaming media that should be on my list? Leave me a comment and tell me about them! Also, if you’re enjoying my content, please “like” and follow me for more content.
Visit my LinkTree to see more of my stuff!
Eric Hagmann Music 