Mafia: The Old Country Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Every last one of the three main entries in the Mafia series has told a significant story in time. Though not historically accurate, you learn a great deal about the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘60s era of organized crime. More often than not, the stories explore real-world American and Italian cities, with the third game extending to other organized crime groups set in fictionalized New Bordeaux, inspired by New Orleans. All of these have been damn satisfying stories to indulge in, spearheading the strongest suit that has made the Mafia series a stronghold in narrative-based gaming. 

Mafia III took a bold leap of faith, though, diving headfirst into a more open-world approach. And for one reason or another, fans weren’t quite pleased. “Leave the open-world mayhem to GTA,” among other sentiments, which were apparently impactful enough to strong-arm Hangar 13 into going back to its roots. Now, with Mafia: The Old Country, we have another possibly dramatic tale, incorporating heavy themes of loyalty, betrayal, and organized crime. And some bit of forbidden love thrown into the mix, too. 

But is the not-so-new focus on narrative enough to propel the new game into the growing list of GOTY contenders? Let’s find out in our Mafia: The Old Country review below.

Eat Humble Pie

You may not know a tiny bit about the Italian Mafia and its origins. However, by the end of Mafia: The Old Country’s rollercoaster ride, you’ll at least have a grasp of the motivations that might cause a respectable man to dive headfirst into the allure of ill-acquired wealth and status. Our protagonist is a stoic man, forced to work the sulfur mines in early 20th-century Sicily.

Out of no will of his own, he has to endure ill treatment, succumbing to the dangers that befall the poor, the folk the status quo don’t give a damn about. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the proposition to join the workforce of Don Torris, one of the crime families in Sicily, is an easy sell. 

You’re, of course, not going to be earning an honest living working for a crime lord, even when you’re initially stationed among “the bottom of the barrel” folk. Still freshly initiated into the world of underground crime, you show mercy when sent on violent missions. You employ stealth tactics to outmaneuver guards and inflict as minimal damage as possible. But as more demanding jobs are assigned to you, it becomes harder to avoid shooting one or two rivals dead. The Spadaro crime family has been a pain in the ass for your Don, and you rise up to the challenge of proving your worth. 

Chances Worth Taking

Beyond that, I’ll leave discovering how the story unfolds to you. This truly is a dramatic tale, living up to the high praise of Mafia: The Old Country’s predecessors. Fans come here for a riveting story, and you’ll get exactly that, and more. Particularly in the individual focus of Enzo, the protagonist, and the companions around him.

Exploring their motivations and driving forces in rising up the ranks of the criminal underworld. Despite the build-up of praise and status, Enzo remains a conflicted, valued man, chasing forbidden love at the command of his fragile heart. He remains a deeply related man whose world might be far different from our own. Yet, in the desperation of a poverty-ridden life and the prospect of making something of himself, he finds himself thrust into the dangerous mix of unconditional loyalty, betrayal, and, yes, lots of violence. 

Sure, anyone with a decent knowledge of Mafia stories will predict some parts of the story. It might even be unsurprising the way certain events unfold, especially with the idea of crime never being the answer, no matter how desperate or hopeless you are. Yet, you can’t help getting sucked into the narrative, glued to the screen as the cinematic sequences unfold.

You cling to every word, thanks to stellar writing and voice acting. All performances are unique and believable, inducing all sorts of stress, grief, and momentary disbelief. Just the perfect dose of emotion to keep you trudging along until the credits roll. Perfect scores all around for the story, unraveling linearly with extreme indulgence to pursue every beat to its full extent. 

Borrowed Time

What Hangar 13 may have faltered a bit on is the open-world design. Okay, I get it. Fans didn’t particularly enjoy the move to open-world exploration in Mafia III. But taking away exploration altogether in favor of a linearly structured gameplay design left me in want of something more. There can be a balance between linearity and exploration, especially with the breathtaking 1900s Sicily design.

This not-so-small chunk of Sicily bears a variety between the rugged countryside and the grimy city streets. From vineyards to underground crypts and opera houses, every environment immerses you in a time we’ll never get to live in. And won’t you want to live in it, even if it’s virtually, leisurely walking around and discovering a hidden gem, a historical nugget, a quick banter with Sicilian folk?

Very few of these are possible, and often restrictive to unraveling the story. You can explore the world, but only to collect photographs, statues, newspapers, charms, etc. And some do reveal more lore and story, others buff your skills and abilities. However, they lack the intrinsic motivation to search for them, given the blandness of the environment interaction. You cannot strike up conversations with NPCs, you cannot whip out your gun at them and have them react in believable ways. When you can buy rundown cars from the 1900s and horses, they simply serve as a means to get from point A to point B. And even then, there’s the option to skip the trip altogether. 

The focus here is to stick to the story, and perhaps many gamers will appreciate this level of focus. For history buffs and curious minds, though, who might like more immersion in a world long gone, I’m afraid Mafia: The Old Country is far from what would please you. 

Bite the Dust

Anyway, the next bit to entice you is the combat, which, uhm, isn’t the strongest suit of not just Mafia: The Old Country but the series as a whole. Fans will notice a smoother gunplay system here, though, that feels more fluid and satisfying. You have a nice variety of weapons from the 1900s, rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and whatnot, to dispose of enemies.

However, combat is third-person, cover-based. So, prepare to do lots of ducking behind cover and leaping up to fire shots in barely seconds. With the easy, medium, and hard difficulties, you enjoy the freedom to find your sweet spot. However, the easier difficulty seems to have weak enemy AI, walking toward you all brazen as if you won’t blow their heads off. 

The hard difficulty arguably provides a worthy challenge, given that the combat system itself isn’t too difficult. At least then, enemy AI have more accuracy, and the common sense to actually coordinate and duck behind cover. 

Before it all gets crazy, though, you have the option of stealth. Map out where enemies are, their patterns, and you’ll find a logical way to sneak up behind every last one of them, and strangle or knife them to death. However, there are sections where enemies seem deliberately more in number, enough to strong-arm you into unleashing your guns.

There’s nothing especially new or innovative with combat. It’s serviceable, with even aspects like stealth, adding chests to hide dropped bodies in, and bottles or coins to distract guards. Knives, though, have an appreciated feature of variety, where certain designs offer more durability, others can be thrown, while others boost your health. Not sure why the durability of a knife is at play here, but oh well. 

Knife’s Edge

And let’s not forget the knife-on-knife combat, structurally integrated into the story. It’s pretty straightforward, thrusting forward, dodging, and parrying, with nifty visual clues. I hear it bears cultural significance to Italian culture. So, it doesn’t seem to have been thrown into the mix last minute.

Verdict

So, should you play Mafia: The Old Country? At $50, across roughly 10 to 15 hours, I don’t see why not. You enjoy a truly riveting story, with flaws that are immediately remedied by stellar writing and voice acting. Character models and designs are impressive, adding the subtlest facial expressions. You enjoy exploring 1900s Sicily, discovering a culture that is a century gone. And powering a most engrossing organized crime story that weaves in mature themes of forbidden love, loyalty, and betrayal. 

No, really, what’s not to like? Oh, yeah, the combat. But to be honest, it’ll easily take a backseat to the compelling story you’ll unfold. And not in an annoying way either, that it’s misplaced or an afterthought. There’s some fun to be had shooting rival gangs. But the most fun you’ll have will definitely be rising from the ashes to crime glory and back to ashes? You’ll have to find that out for yourself.