Mafia: The Old Country – A Full Game with a Certain Charm

Mafia Returns to Roots in Early 20th-Century Sicily

It has been nearly a decade since a new Mafia game was released, following Mafia III’s launch in 2016. After Mafia III’s mixed critical and commercial reception, the series experienced a decline. However, 2020 reignited excitement with the Definitive Edition of the original Mafia, prompting the publisher to greenlight the development of a new installment: Mafia: The Old Country. The game aims to return to the series’ core principles, abandoning the expansive open-world format and narratives centered on American veterans struggling with identity. Instead, it transports players to early 20th-century Sicily, a setting rich with captivating landscapes, vibrant lemons, and melodic accents. While the concept is promising on paper, initial concerns about its execution have emerged.

Mafia’s Cinematic Journey vs. Open World – Finding Balance After GTA’s Shadows

For over two decades, the Mafia video game series has carved out a distinct niche in gaming. Emerging a few years after Grand Theft Auto’s success, Mafia pursued a linear narrative path, contrasting with GTA’s emphasis on player freedom and extensive activities. Mafia distinguished itself by creating the illusion of an open world that primarily served as a cinematic backdrop for highly scripted gangster narratives, drawing inspiration from films by Coppola or Scorsese rather than GTA’s gameplay loop. This delicate balance was disrupted with Mafia III in 2016 when developer Hangar 13 attempted to fully embrace the open-world formula without the expertise of GTA’s creators. The result was a repetitive, mechanically underdeveloped, and narratively uneven game that impacted the franchise’s reputation.

Mafia’s Strategic Return to Roots: Exploring the Old Country’s Linear World

Mafia: The Old Country positions itself as a strategic return to these roots, both geographically—set in early 20th-century Sicily—and structurally, with a linear narrative and controlled environment. This prequel explores the origin story for the entire franchise, featuring close ties between characters, families, locations, and other elements seen in previous games. While newcomers can appreciate the story, understanding these references enhances the experience. In an era dominated by open-world games, embracing a linear, closed-world structure might seem unconventional but proves necessary to re-engage fans after Mafia III. Mafia: The Old Country arrives almost a decade after Mafia III’s release and twenty-four years after the first installment.

A New Saga Begins: Enzo’s Journey through Sicily’s Criminal Underworld

The game narrates the tale of Enzo Favara, a young man forced into slavery in a Sicilian sulfur mine at the turn of the 20th century. After escaping his brutal captors, the Spadaro family, Enzo finds refuge on the land of Don Torissi, a long-standing enemy of the Spadaros. Working as a farmhand, Enzo is drawn into a life of crime, violence, and power, eventually embodying the archetype of a true mafioso. The narrative explores whether Enzo chooses this life or is merely surviving within it. The game’s setting in Sicily’s tumultuous early 20th century—an era defined by poverty, migration, clan dominance, and pervasive Catholicism—is deliberate, marking the birthplace of the modern mafia. As Enzo Favara, players embark on both an individual journey and a collective origin story for the mafia itself. The fictional town of San Celeste, previously glimpsed in Mafia II, serves as a tangible link to past chapters, appealing to long-time fans. The game delves into complex themes like morality, incorporating references to Hollywood and memorable characters. While some plot points may be predictable, the story remains compelling and endearing, offering an engaging origin tale for the Mafia universe.

Linear Mafia: Sicily’s Focused Adventure in Hangar 13’s Gameplay

Following industry trends can be risky, particularly for studios with limited resources or expertise. For years, open-world design has been a prominent feature in the industry, often forming the backbone of major game releases. However, this trend has also led to failures, a lesson learned by Mafia III and its open-world ambitions. To prevent similar missteps, Hangar 13 designed Mafia: The Old Country as an entirely linear experience where players progress through chapters with clear objectives and no side missions or extraneous quests. While Sicily offers open spaces for exploration at times, this is primarily for item collection rather than extensive adventuring. The game judiciously embraces its linear nature, acknowledging that the Mafia series was never celebrated for its exploration mechanics. Hangar 13 understood this, ensuring Sicily functions as a consistent backdrop without aspiring to vastness.

Mafia’s Old Country: Suspect Shootouts and Stealth Struggles

Despite its gripping narrative and captivating characters inspired by decades of mobster films, Mafia: The Old Country exhibits some predictable plot points and a somewhat guessable ending. However, the game’s execution of certain mechanics presents challenges. Gunfights often lack impact and precision; enemies can absorb multiple shotgun blasts before reacting, and the cover system feels stiff. Stealth segments evoke older Splinter Cell games, featuring enemy AI that struggles with perception. Guards often fail to detect players unless they are directly within a narrow field of vision, primarily reacting to fire. The game mixes stealth and gunplay, but the perceived lack of polish can make players question the utility of stealth when direct approaches are often just as effective due to predictable enemy behavior. Hiding bodies, for instance, offers minimal tactical advantage given the AI’s simplicity. This regression in AI design is notable, though players may adapt to it over time.

Mafia’s Old Country: Intense Brawls and Outdated Mechanics (2025)

Interspersed with chases and firefights, Mafia: The Old Country incorporates knife fights, providing a change of pace. These close-quarters brawls draw comparisons to the final fight in Uncharted 4 but lack the polish found in Naughty Dog’s work. While functioning as boss battles, these encounters can become repetitive, not due to a limited move set (players can slash, thrust, deliver heavy hits, dodge, and parry), but because they consistently follow the same pattern, suggesting a lack of foresight in their design. Overall, critiques indicate that elements such as gunfights and AI feel outdated, akin to games from 2008-2010. This perceived lack of polish for a 2025 release, particularly from a major publisher like 2K Games, is surprising. Basic character movements—running, jumping, and climbing—feel heavy and stiff. Additionally, some in-game scripting can be choppy, occasionally slowing the pacing. The overall experience can feel like playing an older game, roughly fifteen years behind current industry standards, making its rough edges more noticeable. The game, despite its narrative strengths, appears somewhat unrefined in its mechanical execution, representing a significant step back for a studio like Hangar 13.

Over-Guidance in Mafia’s Old Country: A Contrast to Modern Trends in Gameplay

Mafia: The Old Country also exhibits a pervasive tendency towards over-guidance. The game constantly marks the player’s path, often every 20 meters, highlights interactive objects, and even gives Enzo a “vision” ability to spot enemies through walls. This level of handholding feels unusual for a Mafia title, potentially suggesting a developer assumption about player competence. While many modern games are moving away from such extensive guidance, Mafia: The Old Country adopts the opposite approach. Despite its shortcomings in gameplay mechanics and animations, Mafia: The Old Country excels graphically. The game boasts impressive visuals, with Unreal Engine 5 effectively bringing Sicilian landscapes to life. Crumbling villages, ancient ruins, and sun-baked countryside scenes are rendered with striking detail, marking a new visual high for the series. Cinematics are well-composed, benefiting from an artistic direction that merges mafia film aesthetics with spaghetti western influences, creating an iconic visual style. While character movements could be more fluid, facial expressions are remarkably detailed and accurate.

Authentic Sicilian Identity in Mafia’s Soundscape: A Dub Comparison

The game’s voice acting and sound design are exceptional. Conversations are engaging, and the actors deliver performances that imbue characters with an authentic Sicilian identity. An extraordinary sound atmosphere is created through English dialogue delivered with thick Sicilian accents, interspersed with Italian phrases. For complete immersion, a high-quality Sicilian dub is available. Conversely, the French dub is reported to lack impact in certain scenes, likely due to actors missing visual cues or weak directional oversight during recording. Fortunately, the game’s music and soundtrack largely compensate for this.

In Case You Missed It

If you’re curious about how much it really costs to make a splash at major gaming events, don’t miss Bruno Pferd’s insightful post “Opening Night Live Trailers Could Cost Half a Million Dollars,” published on August 20, 2025. In this blog, Bruno delves into the hefty fees that companies pay to showcase their upcoming games during the prestigious Opening Night Live at Gamescom. From €70,500 for a pre-show trailer slot to a staggering €465,000 for prime time exposure, these figures highlight the immense value placed on game announcements and trailers. Head over to PlayersForLife.com Opening Night Live Trailers Could Cost Half a Million Dollars to learn more about how this expense impacts the gaming industry and its players. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the recent release of “Mafia: The Old Country,” be sure to check out Carlos Mendoza’s insightful piece from August 20th. While it acknowledges the game’s mixed reception, it highlights its captivating storyline and well-crafted characters despite technical hiccups. With a promising update on the horizon that includes a Free Ride mode, there’s plenty of reason to stay engaged with this latest entry in the series. Explore more at Mafia: The Old Country Begins with Solid Launch, Free Ride Mode En Route! For all you gaming enthusiasts out there, don’t miss the latest from Jonathan Dubinski on our blog. Published on August 20, 2025, “Capcom Highlights Resident Evil Requiem, Onimusha: Way of the Sword and More at Gamescom Opening Night Live” delves into the exciting announcements made during Gamescom, including new trailers for upcoming titles like Resident Evil Requiem and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Plus, there’s a collaboration brewing between Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy XIV Online that promises to be a game changer! Dive in to see what else is on the horizon Capcom Highlights Resident Evil Requiem, Onimusha: Way of the Sword and More at Gamescom Opening Night Live.

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Carlos Mendoza

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