Big Picture
The hub has five collectible lanes
Cross-checked launch guides agree on the main families you need to care about: Newspapers, Baseball Cards, Comic Strips, Secret Figurines, and Schematics.
Launch-Window Research
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Collectibles
Track the collectible chains that matter before a clean run turns messy
This hub focuses on the collectible facts that survive cross-checking: which categories exist, which ones feed achievements, what the shop can help recover, and where first-run players still need route discipline.
Checked through Apr 28, 2026
5 collectible categories
Missable-risk route
Shop Safety Net
Three categories can be bought back
An official developer reply says missed Newspapers, Comic Strips, and Baseball Cards can later appear in the shop. That is helpful, but it is not a universal cleanup pass for every collectible type.
Why This Page Exists
Older totals still conflict online
Launch-week coverage does not agree on every grand total, especially around Schematics. This page stays useful by separating strong consensus from older work-in-progress lists and by calling out disputed numbers honestly.
Cross-Checked Types
What each collectible category does for your run
The cards below only use category names, totals, and achievement links that matched across at least two fresh sources. Where route advice is more interpretive, we keep the wording conservative.
Mouseburg Herald
Newspapers
Current checklist-style guides agree on 38 Newspapers. They tie directly into the Extra! Extra! achievement and are one of the categories the shop can help recover later.
Bar Minigame
Baseball Cards
Cross-checked launch guides list 41 Baseball Cards. They feed the bar card minigame, are linked to Card Shark, and sit close to extra win-based achievement pressure later in the run.
Story Flavor
Comic Strips
Multiple fresh guides agree on 29 Comic Strips. These feed the The Prequel achievement and are also part of the officially confirmed shop recovery group.
High-Risk Pickup
Secret Figurines
Current location guides line up on 10 Secret Figurines. Unlike the paper-based collectibles, community route guides do not treat figurines as shop-cleanup items, so they deserve real mission discipline.
Upgrade Currency
Schematics
The most current route guides we checked agree on 83 Schematics in the launch window and on the trophy threshold that only 63 are needed for We'll B.A.N.G., ok!. Older launch-day lists published different totals, so treat any schematic grand total from April 16, 2026 especially carefully.
Shop Recovery
What the shop can fix and what it cannot safely promise
The safest officially confirmed rule is narrow but useful: missed Newspapers, Comic Strips, and Baseball Cards can later show up in the shop. That means these three categories are less punishing than they first look if you miss a pickup during a mission.
The shop rule does not mean every collectible can be ignored until cleanup. Current route guides still tell completionists to treat Secret Figurines and Schematics as real in-mission priorities, because they are not consistently documented as shop recoveries.
Baseball Cards need the most caution even inside the "recoverable" group. Launch-window collectible guides warn that some late-game or side-job related card progress may be riskier than ordinary shop purchases, so cards are best treated as "usually safer" rather than "fully solved by the vendor."
Visual Note
A smaller collectible count can still hide a bigger route problem
Secret Figurines and Schematics matter here for the same reason some short side-job chains matter in the platinum route: they are easy to underestimate until a missed pickup turns into a replay-sized problem.
Route Planning
The cleanest first-run collectible priorities
This is the part that pairs best with the Platinum Guide and the Schematics Locations page: not every collectible has equal route pressure.
Priority 1
Respect schematics like progression, not flavor
Because schematics feed B.A.N.G. upgrades and have conflicting public totals, they are the collectible type least worth punting to vague future cleanup.
Priority 2
Treat figurines as true mission pickups
Figurines are small in count but high in route risk. Current guides treat them more like bespoke secrets than vendor-friendly catch-up items.
Priority 3
Use the shop as backup, not as your plan
Papers, comics, and many cards are more forgiving, but the best clean-run habit is still to grab what you see during the mission instead of betting on post-mission purchase luck.
Priority 4
Do not ignore the card minigame layer
Baseball Cards are not just a checklist item. They also connect to the bar minigame, a $50 entry fee, win-based achievements, and an exclusive weapon unlock path, so they carry more long-tail value than comics or newspapers.
Internal Links
Best pages to pair with this hub
Use the Beginner's Guide if you want safer exploration habits before you start chasing secrets. Use the Secret Figurines Guide if the office shelf, Mon-keigh puzzle, or late-run hidden pickups are your current pain point. Use the Schematics Locations page if upgrade routing matters more to you than full collectible completion. Use the Platinum Guide if your main concern is protecting the one-run 100% route from late surprises.
FAQ
Quick collectible answers
Can I buy back every missed collectible?
No official source says that. The confirmed shop safety net only covers missed Newspapers, Comic Strips, and Baseball Cards.
Which collectible type is most important for upgrades?
Schematics. They are both upgrade currency and part of the achievement path tied to fully upgraded weapons.
Are Baseball Cards just for completion percentage?
No. Public launch guides and the achievement list both show that cards also feed the bar minigame and connect to extra rewards beyond the simple collection total.
Version Note
What this page is based on
This page was written on April 28, 2026 using official Steam store, achievement, and developer-reply material, plus launch-window collectible and trophy guides published between April 16 and April 27, 2026. It is intentionally cautious around totals that still show disagreement across older sources.
If a future patch changes collectible availability, shop behavior, or achievement reliability, the parts most likely to need updates are schematic totals, late-game Baseball Card cleanup, and any route advice built around side jobs.