Story length

Typifying Hangar 13’s strive for refinement in Mafia: The Old Country is story length which is expected to take less time to complete than Mafia III. New Bordeaux’s sandbox mission delivery results in a main story campaign which took 22 to 25 hours to complete, whilst The Old Country’s yarn through rural 1900s Sicily is estimated at taking 10 to 14 hours. Focused, linear-style storytelling is a growing trend in video games as developers look to sever open world’s excess bloat. Hangar 13 has carved an opportunity to present Mafia’s most impactful narrative to date with this decision. If The Old Country’s story is on point, then switching from open world to linear, and thus shortening campaign length, will prove a shrewd move.

No background knowledge required

Confirmed as an origin story for the Mafia series by Hangar 13, as per the studio’s community Q&A players’ needn’t have experienced any prior Mafia games to get the most out of The Old Country. A standalone narrative requiring zero background knowledge is, essentially, a reset for the series. Compare this with Mafia III which, whilst admittedly, could be enjoyed as an introduction to the Mafia series, the backstories of recurring characters would be missed.

Thematic difference

We touched upon this in the intro, but again: Mafia III is a story steeped in violent retribution. Through the traumatised eyes of protagonist Lincoln Clay we’re embroiled in a tug of war between rival factions and fractured societies. In contrast, Enzo Favara’s story in Mafia: The Old Country explores themes of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice. Furthermore, Favara is attempting to establish an identity and a sense of belonging for himself. Both games dissect emotionally complex subject matter, but there is a wholesale difference in what is being presented.

Protagonist’s goals

To explore these thematic differences further, we can look at each of Mafia III and Mafia: The Old Country’s protagonists and the end goals which fuel their motivation. Lincoln was hellbent on revenge, his ultimate goal being to teardown the syndicates which failed him. He’s angry, but for Enzo his goal, ultimately, is to be a part of something. To put it another way: Lincoln is building his own empire, Enzo is joining one.

Portrayal of the mafia

Throughout Mafia III, organised crime, and mobsters in general, are skewed through the lens of decay. They’re portrayed as an outdated force amidst a tumultuous backdrop in transition. They’re still taking power via brutality, but their goal for ultimate control over any adversary feels as though its shelf life is wavering. The familial criminals in Mafia: The Old Country, in contrast, are bound by secrecy and tradition. Theirs is a code of honour which is upheld, even between rivals. They’re bound by oaths, ritual, and respect.

Language

Immersion is the Mafia series’ beating heart. It’s fair to say a realism-first approach has informed many of Hangar 13’s development decisions, and they’re taking it up a notch with Mafia: The Old Country. In a series first, the game’s intention is not to be experienced in English but in Sicilian. The team have written a Sicilian-first script, hired Sicilian voice actors, and are proudly claiming Sicilian as the canon way to experience the upcoming game. Dubs in numerous languages, including English, exist, although in a nod to respect there won’t be an Italian version. Mafia III was no slouch in the audio department, of course, with period-correct slang and accents featured. But, inarguably, this doesn’t go to the lengths The Old Country is.

Game engine upgrade

Mafia III uses an upgraded version of Mafia II’s Illusion engine whereas for Mafia: The Old Country Hangar 13 have opted to use Unreal Engine 5. Visually, it’s hard to argue this isn’t a sound decision, especially when considering the emphasis on in-game cutscenes to tell the game’s carefully crafted story. Of course, UE5’s benchmark-raising facial animation tech MetaHuman has been instrumental here. Furthermore, evidence of Nanite and Lumen dominates the rugged, vividly lit terrain of Sicily throughout gameplay and marketing videos.

Underboss management dropped

Supporting Mafia III’s empire building is its underboss management mechanic whereby Lincoln would assign control of specific districts that he’s taken over to his underbosses. Maintaining a good relationship with these underbosses by fairly assigning resources and support was key to building a healthy empire. For a game as streamlined as Mafia: The Old Country, there’s no room for a similar kind of system.

Side missions dropped

Beyond empire management, Mafia: The Old Country drops a few more of Mafia III’s open world trappings. Side quests, on the whole, are gone. A story which unfolds in a highly structured way won’t allow them, you see. Collectibles are parred down to a minimum, with Hangar 13 confirming that there will be opportunities to leisurely absorb Sicily’s splendour with chance to “discover a few collectibles” stated on their community Q&A.

Knives are the new guns

In early 1900s Sicily, even gangsters didn’t have plentiful access to firepower. Here, disputes are settled by the slash of a blade. Moreover, at this time knives in Sicily harboured cultural significance, with the Sicilian School of Stiletto Fighting informing many a vicious combat manoeuvre the mafia men of this era enacted on their foes.

Resource scarcity

Life hanging by a thread, survival by skin of teeth; this is how Hangar 13 wants players to feel throughout every combat encounter in Mafia: The Old Country. Fostering this aim somewhat is a scarcity of resources – particularly ammo – throughout each of Enzo’s missions through Sicily. To this end, players will need to think strategically about every bullet they load into Enzo’s gun.

Original score

Mafia III featured a licensed soundtrack, a sonic buffet of 1960s music which anchored the game and its narrative themes into a specific era. The Old Country achieves this same anchoring, but via an original score performed via period-correct folk instruments, and subtle ambience.

Film-like flow

In Hangar 13’s words, playing through Mafia: The Old Country is like playing through a classic mob movie. To achieve this their intention, primarily, is to establish a cinematic flow between tightly directed gameplay moments and acted cutscenes. Events transpire chronologically too. There’s no jumping between timelines here.

Visual style

Cementing Mafia: The Old Country’s cinematic flow is the visual language deployed. Scenes unfurl slowly, interiors are purposefully illuminated akin to noir cinema, whilst open countryside embraces serenity and calm. In contrast, Mafia III’s visual style is more erratic; bolder in colour and presentation.

Mafia: The Old Country retails at a cheaper price point

Alongside bucking the trend for over-stuffed games, Mafia: The Old Country is also set to sell at a price cheaper than Mafia III at launch. It’s certainly welcome that a game with refined mechanics has a price which reflects its contents despite the biblical efforts of the team behind it. In a day and age of new games pushing $80, The Old Country’s pricing is refreshing.

Knives are a pretty big deal in 1900s San Celeste, and Hangar 13 conducted extensive research on their real-world creation in Sicily. Knife fights are more akin to duels with some degree of honor involved, as seen when one enemy throws his gun away to face Enzo. Slashing and dodging are key, but so are those button-mashing struggles to gain an advantage.

Of course, outside of duels, knives are vital for assassinations. You can sneak up on foes or throw them from a distance, effectively saving ammunition (which is scarce enough as it is). Just don’t forget that whenever the knives are out, it’s a life-or-death battle.

Mafia: The Old Country is out on August 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our feature here and 15 things we can’t wait to do. You can also watch more extensive gameplay here.

Admiring San Celeste Architecture

If there’s one notable difference between the Mafia trilogy and The Old Country, it’s, as the name suggests, the setting. The fictional city of San Celeste sits at the heart of Italy’s Sicily region and forms the origins of the Italian mafia families that would migrate to the locations of previous games. There’s a keen attention to detail regarding San Celeste in particular. Sun-baked weathering is visible on the ancient buildings and there’s a concerted effort to go full authenticity mode regarding the architecture of the region. The studio did their homework, taking in-depth trips to Sicily with a team of photographers to capture the rich variety the region has to offer. To me, The Old Country feels somewhat nostalgic, reminding me of all the historical landmarks within the Assassin’s Creed Ezio trilogy.

Exploring Rural Sicily

But there’s more to admire than the architecture within the towns. Sicily is famous for its beatific hillsides and rich vineyard landscapes – something we get to explore in The Old Country. I know it’s a graphical thing and not an environmental detail per se, but the lighting in particular really appeals to me; it’s just spot-on with its sun-speckled depiction of the Mediterranean coast. The game will make use of this landscape with generous amounts of horse and vehicle segments in-between and during missions. Imagine having all that Unreal Engine 5 open-world tech but fully focused on bespoke areas the protagonist visits. What a concept, huh?

Grabbing Those Collectibles

And it’s because of the greater focus on quality environments that the prospect of collectibles has me interested this time around. If the studio’s portrayal of 1900s Sicily is indeed as good as it looks, I’ll want to seek out excuses to stay in it. We know there are some form of collectibles within the game, but I’m hoping for ones that add to gameplay in some way. Vehicle parts could be one such collectible, rewarding the player with a classic car upon completing a set. Previous collectibles such as magazines are also on the table here, providing less in terms of gameplay, but still rewarding exploration.

Soaking in the Soundtrack

The team applied their goal of historical authenticity to the soundscape of Sicily too, especially with regards to the ambient folk tunes sung by NPCs. San Celeste is bustling with people whistling, humming, and performing in-universe musical performances on the streets. This aspect of the game’s music was heavily researched and pulled from real Sicilian tradition. Meanwhile, the non-diagetic music follows the series’ more cinematic traditions. The music within the Mafia trilogy has a surprising amount of fans, and The Old Country is sure to bring in even more with it’s orchestral, and at times operatic, score.

Getting Our Ears Blown Out by Muffler-Less Vehicles

Like the music, careful attention to detail was put into key aspects of the sound effects. The period-specific vehicles in particular got the royal treatment from the sound crew. The game’s vehicles were recorded from the studio’s real-life test drives of early 20th Century automobiles. These classic cars are shockingly loud in real life due to their lack of exhaust mufflers, allowing us to hear the boldness of each engine in the game more clearly.

Driving Early 20th Century Automobiles

Of course, it’ll be fun just to drive these cars around the Sicilian landscape in general. Alongside the more mission-based driving segments, there’s going to be some freeroam driving too, allowing the player to experiment with the handling of these early vehicles. I’m not expecting any sim-like driving mechanics here, but with the cars sounding and looking as authentic as they do, I can’t help be intrigued to see how they accelerate and corner too.

Seeing the Original Events of Mafia 1 Begin to Form

Fans of the original Mafia trilogy get to piece together the origin story of the crime families featured in Mafia 1, 2, and 3. Mafia 1 starred a character that ended up joining the Salieri crime family and it’s highly likely Enzo will run into the Salieris within the narrative of The Old Country. For those who’ve played Mafia 2, it’ll be a touch nostalgic to re-visit San Celeste in greater detail, as the Sicilian city was first briefly featured within Mafia 2’s opening.

Witnessing Enzo’s Personal Journey

Character development is clearly a big focus of The Old Country. And it’s the main protagonist, Enzo Favara, who’s journey we follow very closely. Enzo was fated to a life of hard labor from an early age. Well, he’s a little more optimistic (naively so) than others, since his growth into an established crime family forms the framework of the story.

Joining the Family

The game is shaping up to be a quintessential coming-of-age story, flavored with mob drama, of course. As Enzo gets initiated into the Torissi mob family, he undergoes a wide range of realizations. There’s no doubt this is a heavily character-driven game, and with the central themes being family and revenge, we can expect lots of twists and turns throughout.

Enacting Revenge

Will Enzo have to betray his blood family for his new crime family? Will he end up backstabbed by someone he trusted most? Well, knowing the media the team took inspiration from, probably. And that has us pretty excited considering the quality of the cinematics and general polish of the presentation.

Engaging in Life or Death Knife Fights

One twist we’re going to get a lot of is the twist of a knife. Knives are arguably the core weapon of choice in the game, which fits the setting considering Sicily’s history of knife-making. The team went to local machine shops to see how craftsmen made knives of the region, and while most won’t really notice, the authenticity is felt in how unique and detailed the weaponry is. You can stab, throw, sharpen, and collect numerous knives throughout the adventure. It’s the ‘realistic’ knife duels that have me particularly intrigued. Hopefully, they have a deflection and counter system in place because it would add to the “life or death” feeling of combat that much more.

Being a Stealth Assassin

Knives inform a major aspect of gameplay: stealth. While we have our reservations about NPC intelligence and whatnot, the stealth kill animations are satisfying. What’s more, distracting enemies with a thrown knife a couple feet behind them is a viable strategy for getting past or jumping them from the shadows.

Being Forced to Improvise

And while it’s possible to go in guns blazing, it’s not exactly viable most of the time. There’s probably going to be too many NPCs given the limited ammo in a level, forcing some amount of stealth or knife gameplay. But it’s the split-second decision-making that I’m especially eager to experience. Every great survival game lives and breathes by its nail-biting improvisation. And The Old Country seems poised to provide enough of a toolkit to improvise fairly and cleverly. The knives provide melee combat for those not looking to sneak through situations, while the reverse is also true for the silent assassin types.

Engaging in Tense Horse-Riding Shootouts

As alluded to before, you won’t just be driving vehicles or riding horses, but fighting off pursuers using an arsenal of firearms atop them too. Some of the most exciting gameplay shown has been of car chase sequences. We can expect a number of terrain difficulties to present themselves during these, but I’m especially looking forward to the shootouts. I’m looking forward to popping an opponent’s tires while dodging oncoming bullets. I just hope the checkpoints are generous because chase sequences have a history of being bad about that aspect.

Sitting Back and Enjoying the Cutscenes

Finally, there’s the absolutely dialed-in cutscenes to look forward to. Even if the gunplay or stealth ends up disappointing us in some regard, it’s highly unlikely the narrative presentation will. Actors are fully voiced and motion captured here, and the supporting orchestra score ties a bow on it all.

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.

Despite its scenic beauty, San Celeste in 1900s Sicily is a brutal place with the Torrisi family effectively controlling everything. Enzo is a new initiate and sets about fulfilling the Don’s orders, serving as his eyes and ears (while reminded that everything belongs to Torrisi). Unlike Mafia 3, The Old Country focuses more on its story with a structure akin to the first two games.

Mafia: The Old Country launches on August 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, having gone gold last month. You can check out some more extensive gameplay here, which sees Enzo infiltrating a villa to take out a target, or learn more about what we currently love about the title (and things we’re still skeptical about).

It’s a linear story game

Within Mafia: The Old Country, developer Hangar 13 wants every player to feel as if they’re starring in their very own mob movie. To achieve this, the fourth mainline entry in the long-running organised crime action-adventure series features tightly paced missions and a plethora of sparsely lit, authentically acted cutscenes, building the foundation upon which a carefully crafted narrative rests. Story progression, then, is linear, moving the series away from Mafia III’s openness, back to an experience similar in delivery to Mafia’s I and II.

There’s cutscenes aplenty

Cementing The Old Country’s rich storytelling and authentic realism Hangar 13 believes the Mafia series is renowned for will be extensive between-play cutscenes. We’re not expecting anywhere near the scale of Metal Gear Solid 4’s marathon cinematics, but it’s clear Mafia’s California based studio are placing huge emphasis on story-padding acting in The Old Country. For what it’s worth, the cutscene opening the recent 9-minute gameplay trailer looks supremely well-crafted, if a little generic but its noir-esque lighting, purposeful dialogue, and nuanced facial expressions exude tension.

It’s not open world

Hangar 13’s determination to deliver a tightly-woven narrative is the driving force behind not presenting Mafia: The Old Country’s stunning Sicilian backdrop as open world. This could prove a shrewd decision if the upcoming prequel’s promising story explores the emotional melodrama of its Hollywood inspiration to the fullest. However, the rustic beauty of early-1900s Sicily is undeniably one of the game’s key selling points too, a stark contrast to the bustling American cities of Mafia’s prior entries.

Authenticity is The Old Country’s heart

The desire for an authentic as possible Sicilian crime drama is Mafia: The Old Country’s beating heart; the result, the culmination of a painstaking development process. Hangar 13’s research has been immense: studying a library of Sicilian mafioso crime novels to get under the skin of early 1900s Sicilian crime families, learning their traditions and culture, firing their weapons, driving their cars. Immersing themselves in the subject matter – including first-hand trips to Sicily – has proven crucial for Hangar 13 when creating The Old Country’s setting, its vistas, its characters within, and its story. Audio is a key thread in the tapestry too, with period-correct music and localised voice actors boosting authenticity further.

Enzo Favara is the game’s lead

And how better to experience Sicily’s gritty underbelly than through the eyes of Enzo Favara, an eager, to the point of naive, fresh initiate to the Torrisi crime syndicate. He’s the quintessential antihero, his murderous rampages in pursuit of honor the result of a tragic childhood whereby he forcibly worked in sulphur mines. His core beliefs are built on him being disposable; if he died in the mines, no doubt another child would have taken his place. Surviving to adulthood, Enzo pursues opportunities to stay alive, and perhaps to make something of his life, with a rise through the ranks of the Torrisi mafia offering his best chance.

Other characters confirmed

Other characters have been confirmed, including Enzo’s patriarchal mentor Don Bernado Torrisi, head of the Torrisi family who symbolically adopts Enzo. His daughter Isabella Torrisi struggles to navigate the mafia’s dominance. Her intelligence and autonomous nature ensures she won’t be one-dimensional. Elsewhere, Cesare Massaro is Enzo’s closest confidant and Don Spadaro is the head of a rival family.

Gameplay overview

Mafia: The Old Country supplants the gameplay we’ve seen before into old-timey Sicily, albeit linearly delivered as already discussed. As such, players can expect action-heavy missions which meld stealth-based takedowns and open plan gunfights. Also as seen in gameplay, getting across Sicily’s dust-strewn landscapes will be in period-correct, if potentially too rapid, vehicles or via horseback.

Stealth in detail

Now, stealth aficionados might’ve come away from the gameplay a tad disappointed by Enzo’s subterfuge skillset. The reality, from what’s been shared so far, is stealth in Mafia: The Old Country isn’t presenting anything novel. There are shadows to hide inside, walls to creep behind, guards patrolling in repeated patterns, and objects to throw as distraction such as the coins in Enzo’s pocket or possibly the glass bottles seen atop the wall of a fountain. Silent takedowns come via a quick stab in the back or a well-placed knife throw. There isn’t any distinction between guard-killing animations in the gameplay, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be in the finished product.

Hand-to-hand combat

Without consistent access to guns, in 1900s Sicily disputes were settled the old fashioned way: with knives. Being a part of Sicilian culture, knives, and knife fights, will be an integral part of Mafia: The Old Country; viscous, up-close, and personal. Hand-to-hand combat here is life and death, with survival coming down to whoever has the strongest will to live. Knife use in The Old Country is also emblematic of a scarcity of resources. It’s likely Enzo will come to rely on his knife skills for survival more than any other form of weaponry.

Shootouts

Once cover is blown, a guns blazing approach can be taken in The Old Country, and owing to some awesome firepower shootouts are high intensity, one-shot-kill fights. Taking cover, shooting over countertops, popping out of cover, rinse, repeat, there’s an exhilaration here at odds with the serene countryside. Whilst mechanical depth isn’t necessarily something the Mafia series is renowned for, Hanger 13 do seem to have placed decent focus on making gun fights in The Old Country impactful.

When all else fails, there’s grenades

Or, more specifically, fuse bombs with timed detonation that were more commonly used during the early 1900s era. In Mafia: The Old Country, they function as grenades; when Enzo chucks one at a couple of guards in the 9-minute gameplay video they recoil at the sight of what they term as a grenade. So, despite Enzo likely wielding a primitive form of the incendiary, ostensibly he’ll be equipped with grenades.

All firepower is period-correct

Owing to Hangar 13’s pursuit of authenticity, it should go without saying that all the guns featured in Enzo’s armoury are period-correct. Broadly speaking, the firearms used in this era are less forgiving than their modern counterparts, and this is reflected in the aforementioned necessity for cover-based shooting. The list of handguns, rifles, and shotguns set to feature are iconic to the Sicilian mafia too, headlined of course by the double-barrel sawn-off shotgun – the Lupara.

Traversal in detail

Given the early 1900s setting, horses, and horse-drawn carriages, are set to be the most common way Enzo gets about. However, whilst not as commonplace at the time, Enzo will be able to get behind the wheel of some primitive wheelery. Now, in developing The Old Country’s car physics, a team from Hangar 13 not only visited a vintage car collection in the Czech Republic, but drove them with microphones attached, capturing not only the sounds of engines and transmission but creaking metal panels, springs, and so on.

Immersion breaking animations

We’ve alluded to this already, but within the 9-minute gameplay feature we don’t see an awful lot of variation in character animation. Mafia: The Old Country’s official gameplay trailers do showcase more in this regard, but there’s a worry that we’ll be seeing the same death animations repeatedly. Hope to be proven wrong.

Driving can be skipped

Skippable driving isn’t a problem in itself, but the fact it exists – almost from the very moment Enzo gets behind the wheel – implies an acknowledgement by Hangar 13 that driving won’t be especially exciting, car chases aside. Existing in the tranquility of rural Sicily will likely appeal to many gamers though, so this isn’t necessarily a big concern. Linear design, as The Old Country is, suggests there won’t be much unexpected happenstance occurring on Silicy’s dirt roads either, although we might be treated to a few points of interest on-route to a mission.

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 20^th 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 8^th 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.

I had the opportunity to sit down with a preview build of the game over the weekend. It covered the game’s first five chapters before skipping to chapter ten and clocked in at about three hours. What follows are my impressions.

It’s Gorgeous

The first thing I noticed about Mafia: Definitive Edition was how pretty it was. I managed to run the preview build on its highest settings at 1080p and a (largely) stable framerate, and the game is exceptionally pretty. From the way characters look to how light cascades from the tops of buildings or how puddles splash as characters step in them, Mafia: Definitive Edition is an impressive looking game.

Particular praise should be lavished on the game’s use of motion capture, particularly in cutscenes. Mafia’s characters are beautifully animated and acted, with subtle facial expressions and body language that do a good job of conveying how characters feel without being over the top.

That focus on production values also applies to the game’s lighting, textures, and sound design. This is especially noticeable in the gamer’s music, which is an expertly produced sampling of some of the best big bang stuff you’ll ever hear in a video game. This is a very, very well produced remake that has atmosphere for days and captures the spirit of the original while bringing it into the modern era.

Combat Is Uneven

Playing Mafia feels good, too. Tommy, the game’s protagonist, isn’t a trained gunman, but he’s a good shot and using the game’s weapons – particularly the more powerful stuff like the shotgun or the Thompson – feels fantastic. Enemies react to where bullets hit them and blowing someone backwards with a shotgun or watching them fall under a hail of gunfire is enormously satisfying in an “I’m a gangster” kinda way.

The same cannot be said of the melee combat, which it a two-button affair. The first is the one you mash to beat people up, and the second allows you to counter incoming attacks by pressing the button at the proper time. It’s standard action-adventure game combat and nothing about it is particularly exciting, even when you’re beating people with a bat. I spent most of my time punching people wishing I was shooting them instead, but only with the more powerful guns, as the game’s sidearms just don’t feel as good.

Driving (And Driving Missions) Feel Great

Maybe I’m just a sucker for fast cars, but my favorite part of the preview build was the driving missions. Driving in Mafia just feels good, especially in missions where you’re allowed to open things up. In my favorite, Tommy serves as a last minute sub for a race car driver. The car is absurdly fast, but that feeling of speed isn’t the only part of Mafia’s driving that works well. This is the 1930s, so these aren’t precision machines. They don’t always turn well, it takes them time to stop, and they’re pretty easy to wreck if you’re not careful.

This provides a nice sense of tension in a game where success often requires driving fast (and properly). Cars do come with a speed limiter, which can be flicked on when you need help with the latter, but the trade off is that speed is key. Driving is about balancing these things against whatever the mission at hand is requiring you to do, so things remain engaging without ever feeling too hard.

Stealth Isn’t Great

You can be stealthy in Mafia. All you have to do is crouch, and you’re good to go. This also opens up the option to silently take out foes. The downside is it doesn’t work very well. I’d get behind someone, pressed the button for a silent takedown…and Tommy punched the guy in the face. This happened several times. Even when the stealth works properly, it’s not particularly engaging. It feels like its there because its expected to be, and it’s not nearly as interesting as the other mechanics surrounding it.

Things Start Slow

As enjoyable as Mafia’ is, the game starts off pretty slow. The first couple missions are standard tutorial fare and the game doesn’t really pick up until a mission that has you to steal a race car. Until that point, the game is content to hit the standard action-adventure tropes. The game isn’t bad at this point, it’s just slow and scripted.

That said, there is a major reason to see this early lull through. Speaking of which…

The Story is Pretty Good

The story in the original game was pretty good, so the remake is playing with a stacked deck, but Mafia is full of interesting characters that it’s easy to get invested in, or at least like. The remake adds to this with an updated script, but the game feels confident in its storytelling ability, and it’s pretty easy to get drawn along for the ride.

The voice actors also deserve praise. The game is filled with great performances, even from minor characters, and minor conversations end up being memorable, whether for their wit, humor, or the strength of their characterization. Mafia isn’t high art, but it knows what it wants to be and does it well, and there’s something to be said for that.

Without seeing the entire game, it’s impossible to know how Mafia: Definitive Edition will play out, but Hanger 13 is building on a strong foundation and what I’ve seen so far looks very promising. Here’s hoping they can do this modern classic justice. Given what I’ve seen, I’m fairly optimistic, but only time will tell if they can deliver the goods.

Within the city of New Bordeaux (Mafia III‘s fictional recreation of New Orleans city) stands a mystery that involves blood, money, and family. Set in 1968, Mafia III stars Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam War veteran, who is on a quest to build a new crime organization to confront the Italian mob. But to do this Lincoln is going to need some help.

"These choices can also lead to conflict down the road that can and will get you in trouble or could also help you along the way."

Enter Lincoln’s three under bosses who all have beef with one of the heads of the Italian mafia themselves. It’s Lincoln’s job to give Casandra, Buck, and Veto leadership roles to help support his cause — because there is no way Lincoln can carry taking out the entire mafia on his own; and giving power to others will avoid a massive takedown and control of Lincoln’s position. Whenever Lincoln wins over a new territory from a mobster, he has a sit down with his three companions and allows one of the three to take control of said territory. This is where the game gets interesting: you have the decision to choose who gets that territory, they can barter and negotiate with Lincoln, but ultimately it is your choice. These choices can also lead to conflict down the road that can and will get you in trouble or could also help you along the way.

The first thing you’ll notice when setting your eyes down the old streets of New Bordeaux is that this world definitely looks like a 1960s style GTA V. The streets are clean, the city is brimming with hope, but there’s always that uneasy feeling hovering around everyone; as if there’s death somewhere, all the time, waiting to strike. With the bayou near by, its dirty swamp waters breath a heavy stench of corruption in the air around the city. The bayou is a dirty, almost underground feeling location within New Bordeaux: drugs, moonshine, and many more dangerous and illegal things are made there.

Weapons dealers can be called up at a moment’s notice; their weapons, sold from the back of a black van, are diverse and serve many different uses for any style of gameplay and missions. These gameplay styles can consist of stealth missions, going in guns blazing, or even wait for reinforcements to infiltrate and take down your enemy. Those are just some of the many ways to take on missions.

"Unfortunately the graphics didn’t portray very well at all. From what I was able to witness, everything looked not only grainy but pixilated."

Mafia III also introduces some awesome new execution kills. These are finishing moves that send the enemy into another world: you can punch, punch, then shoot him off the side of a boat with a shotgun. The way the enemy flies overboard are portrayed fantastically. Or try a punch, grab his collar, then knock him out with your own head. Or even knock him on the ground, put your foot on his chest, then proceed to shoot his head off with your shotgun. Some very unique executions are just waiting to be played out.

Unfortunately the graphics didn’t portray very well at all. From what I was able to witness, everything looked not only grainy but pixilated. The water effects around the bayou, especially when things would move through the water were just poor, and again pixilated. There was no splashing effects from any character models, save for a tiny puff of mist or smoke that lightly rose from the water. It was a bit odd but there is still time to polish things up. Looking at controlled footage released online the game looks aesthetically pleasing, but this behind closed doors footage just wasn’t cutting it for me. But other than the weird, beta like appearance, it really feels as though Mafia III is going to make a solid performance once it arrives this October\.