The Mafia sequence has all the time been an outlier within the open-world motion style. While the 2002 authentic might have simply been written off as one other Grand Theft Auto clone, Mafia and subsequent titles within the franchise carved a distinct segment for themselves by being narrative-driven experiences constructed round a particular time and place. Empire Bay from Mafia 1 and a couple of is an amalgamation of Chicago and New York created to seize the sensation of 1930s and 50s gangster tradition, whereas New Bordeaux from Mafia 3 tried to depict the Vietnam-era within the south. Mafia: The Old Country efficiently continues this development with its depiction of Sicily within the early 1900s, however is finally held again by its shallow mechanics and dated design.Mafia: The Old Country follows Enzo Favara as he falls in with the Torrisi Crime Family. After fleeing the sulfur mines, Enzo is saved by Don Torrisi, a soft-spoken and enigmatic mob boss that feels like one other very well-known soft-spoken crime lord. Torrisi sees potential in Enzo and places him to work at his winery the place he meets Luca, a mentor-like determine to Enzo; Cesare, Don Torrisi’s hot-headed nephew; and Isabella, the Don’s daughter with whom Enzo has an instantaneous connection. Throughout the course of the 12-hour story, Enzo sinks deeper and deeper into the prison underworld. It’s a reasonably predictable mobster story that’s elevated by robust characters, nice performances, and considerate writing.Protagonist Enzo staring down an adversaryThat stated, Mafia: The Old Country’s solid doesn’t make the perfect first impression. Enzo may be very quiet and standoffish within the early hours; Don Torissi, at instances, sounds slightly an excessive amount of like Michael Corleone; and Luca–despite being considered one of my favourite characters by the end–comes throughout as simply one other rank-and-file mobster. Fortunately, after the primary couple of chapters, their personalities begin to come by way of extra strongly. This is particularly true for Luca, who helps information Enzo by way of his new life inside the Torrisi household. Meanwhile, Cesare develops past a easy hothead as he struggles to dwell as much as his uncle’s lofty expectations. The solely exception to the gradual burn of character personalities is Tino, Don Torrisi consigliere. Portrayed by Anthony Skordi, Tino makes a chilling impression out of the gate and regularly steals no matter scene he’s in.While I loved the characters, the story itself has been completed many instances earlier than, even inside this sequence. A younger man falls in with the mafia. His new life is thrilling, however the cracks start to indicate. People begin to die, and the protagonist should determine the place his loyalties lie. Different names fill the blanks, however the blanks are the identical. While I had many points with Mafia 3, I appreciated the dangers it took with its story. Mafia: The Old Country, by comparability, feels very secure. If you’ve seen a gangster movie, don’t anticipate to be shocked by its twists and turns.Enzo and Isabella driving by way of the countryside on horsebackWhere Mafia: The Old Country excels is in its setting. The Sicilian countryside and the fictional city of San Celeste are breathtaking. The structure, outfits, automobiles, weapons, and all the things in between are fantastically rendered and really feel genuine to the period. Hangar 13 is aware of this, too, as a result of most missions have a bit or two that require you to slowly stroll by way of intricately crafted units and lavishly detailed interiors. This will undoubtedly get on some individuals’s nerves, however given the artistry behind Mafia: The Old Country, I didn’t thoughts these sections. Hangar 13 makes use of these moments as a possibility for the environmental storytelling and world-building that the Mafia sequence is thought for. San Celeste, and the way it modifications all through the sport, is a good instance of this. The city is steeped in historical past and tradition, and it may be seen on each avenue nook. During occasions and festivals, elements of the town are reworked into crowded marketplaces and bustling festivals. It offers Mafia: The Old Country a robust sense of place.Hangar 13 brilliantly ties the narrative into its setting by referencing real-world occasions and capturing the sentiment of the period. The recreation doesn’t start in a sulfur mine by mere coincidence. In the early 1900s, sulfur was a serious export for Sicily, and the mines have been infamous for his or her lethal working situations and excessive exploitation of staff. Some mines have been even linked to the Sicilian Mafia as a result of decentralized authorities of the time. The sulfur mines are only one instance of how Mafia makes use of actual historical past to tell its story and characters. There’s even one second close to the top of the sport that makes use of the nation’s geographical options and actual pure phenomena to dramatic impact.Enzo collaborating in a horse race in San CelesteBut regardless of its obvious element, Mafia: The Old Country feels extra like an elaborate museum exhibit than a online game. There’s little or no to work together with exterior of your present primary goal, and in case you discover a strategy to push the boundaries of the world, the sport hardly ever responds appropriately. This is considerably comprehensible given Mafia: The Old Country’s linear mission construction. Instead of the seamless open world you would possibly anticipate from a Grand Theft Auto–or even from 2016’s Mafia 3–The Old Country’s mission design echoes Mafia 1 and a couple of, so when one chapter ends, a brand new one begins, leaving little room for exploration in between. Broadly talking, that is the best transfer and permits Hangar 13 to place its story entrance and heart. However, in case you discover time to enterprise from the crucial path (or load up the sport’s Exploration mode), you’ll discover a disappointingly one-dimensional world. There is not any legislation enforcement, NPCs usually don’t react to your actions irrespective of how chaotic, and weapon utilization is restricted inside most main areas. The Mafia video games aren’t identified for his or her deep interactivity and reactivity, and I wasn’t anticipating The Old Country to interrupt new floor right here, however this nonetheless appears like a step down from earlier entries.This rigidity extends to the gameplay. Mafia: The Old Country depends on a handful of dated instant-fail stealth segments with poor checkpointing to interrupt up the tempo of driving, taking pictures, and cutscenes in a typical mission. These vary from inconvenient to irritating. One specifically sees Enzo sneaking right into a authorities facility to crack a secure. It’s a enjoyable premise, however one slip-up places you again exterior to begin over, no matter how deep you make it into the constructing. At first, I gave these instant-fail stealth missions the advantage of the doubt, since there are apparent story the reason why Enzo wouldn’t wish to be noticed. However, more often than not, a gunfight erupts anyway, making all that trial and error really feel trivial.Combat is an enchancment over 2020’s Mafia: Definitive Edition, however this nonetheless appears like a generic cover-based shooter. You have two weapons, grenades, and–if you’ve one equipped–a throwing knife. Aiming and motion are a bit stiff on a controller and the concentrating on reticule may be fairly imprecise, which might feasibly be defined away by unwieldy early-20th century firearms. Plenty of the satisfaction in gunplay comes from explosive sound design and weapon suggestions. The firearms in The Old Country really feel lethal, knocking enemies again and annihilating the litter scattered across the battlefield. It helps that the enemy AI at the usual issue is aggressive and infrequently intelligent. Enemies would typically flank and push a bonus when there was a gap, requiring me to react on the fly. Combat by no means grew to become tough, but it surely required simply sufficient fast considering and ammo administration to maintain issues fascinating.Enzo aiming at enemy with a handgunSignificant encounters finish in a knife battle. Mechanically, these fights are simplistic however do a good job at breaking apart the tempo of ducking into cowl for gunfights. During these duels, Enzo can dodge, counter, slash, thrust, and break an enemy’s guard. There’s simply sufficient depth to maintain these brawls partaking, however they by no means develop past a mildly entertaining diversion. Thematically, although, these fights shortly turn out to be ridiculous. Every necessary antagonist is able to toss their gun apart and sq. up with Enzo, even when they’re giving up a transparent benefit. Early on, Enzo pulls a knife on his boss on the mines, and quite than intervening, everybody simply stands round and watches the violence. Sure, to an extent, that is commonplace fare for a online game. However, given how grounded Mafia: The Old Country’s story is, it is odd that Hangar 13 falls again on this gimmick so typically. In many instances, I might have simply most well-liked a cutscene or a easy shootout.Mafia: The Old Country is at its finest when issues decelerate, letting you soak up all of the sights and sounds of Sicily. Like earlier Mafia video games, it nails the appear and feel of its real-world counterpart by investing closely within the particulars. Unfortunately, generic gameplay and dated mission design maintain Mafia: The Old Country again, making it really feel like a relic of the early 2010s.
More