The wait for a new entry in the Mafia series is almost finally at an end come August 8th when Mafia: The Old Country releases. Times have changed since Mafia 3 came out and the studio at 2K that made that have merged into Hanger 13 to craft a prequel set in Sicily. The team aims for The Old Country to replicate some of Mafia 1 and Mafia 2’s success and charm. But there still appear to be some rough spots to patch out, if the recent nine minute gameplay video is anything to go by. Here are 3 things we can’t wait to see in action, and 3 aspects we’re still a bit iffy on regarding the upcoming mobster game from 2K and Hanger 13.
Things We Like
Linear Focus
We recently published an article on the horrors that bloated open worlds have unleashed on games. Mafia 3 was unsurprisingly on that list of games, and for good reason. It was filled with throwaway tasks and repetitive missions that bored players to tears, distracting from the otherwise interesting setting and story that lie dormant within. It’s not very often that developers actively take feedback from players, but in the case of Mafia 3, there was no choice but to cut the fat – after all, sales were paltry and players let their dissatisfaction be known from the proverbial rooftops.
And cut the fat 2K has, touting a more lean and linearly focused adventure harking back to the structure that Mafia 1 and Mafia 2 found success with. The Hanger 13 dev team has clarified via the Mafia website Q&A that The Old Country won’t be totally claustrophobic in its exploration. Rather, there’s open, yet compact, zones with an obvious critical story path but still some side routes to explore. We don’t quite know the full extent of this new game’s explorability yet, but hearing the devs describing its linear nature really sets off Indiana Jones and the Great Circle vibes, and that’s a wonderful thing.
Authentic Realism
Indiana Jones isn’t a bad parallel for something else The Old Country has us impressed by: authenticity. In true period drama fashion, Hanger 13 are infusing the adventure with historically inspired vehicles that could’ve been driven in early 20th Century Europe . Whether or not any actual real-life licensed vehicles are included is another question. The one vehicle we know the name of is called the “Garzia Tumulto” – a purely fictional car name that nonetheless resembles an early 1900s Darracq. In examining all the Darracq models, it’s clear that it’s a near 1-to-1 inspiration despite some liberties with the rear carriage. This realism extends to the Sicilian architecture as well.
We’re given a glimpse of some of the ornate sights in the 9 minute gameplay trailer, but what’s particularly impressive to me are the number of distinct objects decorating the indoor environments. Portraits of Italian families dot the kitchens and brick walls of the rural buildings while lovingly crafted teacups and a variety of antiques line the wood shelves. Hitman fans should have their attention piqued here because the doodad detailing is impressive just like in those games. We can’t wait to explore more of Hanger 13’s version of Sicily when the game comes out.
Story and Characters
That authenticity extends to narrative as well. I’m curious how many Goodfellas references we’ll find in the game, considering the mob drama framing inherent with the game. It wouldn’t be unbecoming to hear a character demanding some cannoli at some point. Because the narrative is so clearly structured after classic mob tales, it’s natural to assume aspects of it might feel derivative or better told elsewhere. But there’s also a ton of potential for some spectacular character development and emotion, given that Enzo’s personal journey has been emphasized so much during the preview phase. There’s a reason criminal mobster stories are so often used in cinema and other media; it allows for lots of plot twists, backstabbing, inter-personal relationships, and the kind of moral wrestling that makes us feel connected to the characters. Here’s hoping 2K can meet the potential set by such a distinguished genre of storytelling.
Things We’re Concerned About
Enemy AI
The game is primed to be a blockbuster on the story and setting axis, but things begin losing their luster a bit once gameplay kicks in, at least from what we’ve seen so far. Enemy AI looks somewhat underbaked for one. Opponents aim like Star Wars stormtroopers, completely oblivious to the shotgun aiming down their face or the situational disadvantage that an open field opens. Consider how poor enemy AI was in Mafia 3 and Mafia Definitive. Hanger 13 hasn’t built trust in that department yet, but we’re eager to be surprised. The icing on the jank cake are the partially finished animations that can be spotted several times within the nine minute gameplay footage. Grenading a foe launches them forward in a hilariously stilted, almost comedic way, and let’s remember that this is the front-facing footage the publisher isn’t shy about sharing. And while Enzo’s reloading animations look slick, enemies often skip frames or idle longer than they should. We have our doubts, but here’s hoping the team can add some more animation frames to NPCs and improve the situational awareness of enemy AI in time for release.
Gunplay
Is it just me, or do guns sound a tad bit worse than they did in Mafia Definitive? We see Enzo choose the hunting shotgun before engaging in the infiltration in the preview footage, and while the gun recoil is nice and hefty, the wallop from the noise is absent. It sounds flat and muzzled to a degree. The pistol has a bit more presence to its sound than the shotgun, what with the clink of chamber and all, but other guns sound rather sanitized. I’m also not a fan of the red blood splashes adorning the side of the screen every time Enzo gets hit. I know why it’s there, but the large visual obfuscation and color filter shift always hamper the shooting experience for me. Lastly, fears of poor enemy AI pop its ugly head up again. I want the game to be properly difficult, not like shooting a sea of HP-inflated target dummies. To the game’s credit, enemies hide behind cover periodically, but they eagerly pop out and slowly follow Enzo out in the open like idiots at random moments.
Stealth
Among all the aspects of gameplay, the team is clearly positioning stealth at the forefront of them all. Enzo likes to rely on his trusty set of knives in particular to get him through a wealth of sneaky situations; whether that be lock-picking doors, taking down foes up close, or throwing knives as distractions or projectiles. There’s even coins you can use to distract opponents all Hitman style. But it isn’t just the toolkit or actual mechanics that we’re worried about. It’s the AI intelligence and level design. It’s easy to imagine stealth sequences being buggy, broken, and way too easy coming off of Mafia 3. In that game, stealth was unsatisfying because there were no smart opponents to stealth around; they didn’t hear or see most actions done to them until they were dead. This similar lack of awareness persists in spurts within the 9 minute gameplay footage. There’s even a section where Enzo walks right up to a man and stabs him face-to-face. The guy’s loud death holler somehow goes unnoticed. Sure, it’s dark, but I have doubts this NPC would’ve behaved any different in daylight conditions.
What we’ve seen of Mafia: The Old Country certainly looks improved from Hanger 13’s recent outings, but I’m reserving judgement until more areas and missions get unveiled. Mafia The Old Country releases on August 8th and it looks vastly improved from Mafia 3, especially when it comes to world design and the more focused story, one that serves as a prequel to the trilogy as a whole. Here’s hoping Enzo’s journey is as fun as it is cinematically thrilling.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
