Mafia: The Old Country was released about a month ago. I was really looking forward to this game, with even preordering it outright. I really enjoyed Mafia and Mafia 2. The third entry was something I can personally admit I did not give enough of a shot. I do plan on fixing that, but September is ripe with games right now. Not sure when I get to it, but I know it will be soon!
Now, Old Country brings the franchise to what feels like the origins. The origins of many Mafia families, which eventually continue forward into the first and even second entries in the franchise. It has been a long time since I played the first two games. Not since the remastered versions came out a few years ago. The remastered version of Mafia was actually my game of the year when it was released. But some of the names definitely carry over in the timeline, which was really cool to see.
Old Country falls back to its roots, in many ways. The gameplay is the most standout, with a beautifully crafted Sicily that you admire on a linear track. Sure, you can go out of your way and randomly find collectibles if you really want to. But there’s not a huge incentive to do it. And while playing the game, the story is very direct. It feels so weird to be riding a horse or driving a car, having a full-blown conversation with another character, and pulling off to the side of the road to grab a newspaper. Sure, it’s a game, but it really takes away from the immersive experience the game actually does a good job at. Finding that sweet spot of open-world exploration and linear gameplay really is a difficult thing for this franchise to do. I would rather it be more strategic about those collectibles and put them within the levels you are in while in the story itself. I think Mafia 2 did a great job with this.
The levels you enter for the game are excellent. Yes, it is all within an open world, but you can feel the attention to detail. Stealth is a fun option for the game, but it is not a requirement by any means. I tried to be sneaky in the early portions of the game. Knocking every enemy out and hiding bodies. Eventually, messing up and ending up in a firefight made me dislike the stealth after a while. Which, understandable. And I would rather not have the mission fail because of it. I’m not sure if there are any strict stealth-only sections. If there are, I was able to make it through nicely. Towards the end, I just went in guns blazing. It was faster, and significantly more engaging and fun.
The preorder bonuses for this game were pretty nice. It gave an awesome vehicle, which ultimately did not matter much. I think a horse and a knife were also included. I never felt like I needed to upgrade anything in the game. I looted everybody possible, got so much money, and just bought the best guns early on. Any component of RPG stuff that sounds nice in practice, but falls kind of flat overall. The shooting in the game was pretty satisfying, though! Shooting legs stumbled enemies, shoulders would blast them back and off center, and headshots were *chef’s kiss*.
Alright. I do have to bring up the knife fights. What an absolute fucking waste of time. I hate these 3D arena-style knife fights. I get that knife fights were apparently a pretty prominent thing, but there were way too many of these fights. Felt like a slog. It was not the tense moment I think they were going for, not till the end anyway. But even then, they are so simple and boring, and take way too long to wrap up. Cut the time to kill in half for those fights and give a sick ass knife kill cut scene. It just wasn’t good gameplay for me.
Finally, let’s talk about the story. No spoilers in here, promise!
This is a pretty typical Mafia story. Take an outsider in a rough spot, introduce them to the family. Bada Boom! The story takes off from there. Our main character is Enzo. He is a young man, sold into mining slavery by his own father. Rough start for him in life right there. Some crazy stuff happens, and he eventually stumbles onto the land of the Torrisi family. Not really understanding what he was getting into, and kind of just taking it one day at a time, Enzo eventually ingrains himself into the fold of the family. After a little while, things are revealed to him that this Torrisi family is just another crime family, like the one he escaped from at the mines. By the time he realizes he’s in a bit too deep, he also falls in love with Don Torrisi’s daughter, Isabella. Very standard story here, but it is being told really well.
The story is brutal and sad, but told in a way that I really enjoyed. The gameplay is serviceable, but it was the story that drew me in and kept me going. I had great disdain for some of the characters, but they were absolutely written in a way to make you not like them. Even when a character changes, you still have that distrust for them throughout the entire game. At least I did. And it makes sense, it’s a story about a crime family. Enzo is always treated like an outsider, even when he is initiated into the family. Granted, he does make some questionable choices, but love is a hell of a drug, eh?
I really enjoyed Mafia: The Old Country. When it was initially shown off, I was a little eh on it. It almost looked like it was trying too hard to be an Uncharted-style game. Don’t get me wrong, I love Uncharted, but that is not what I want from Mafia. Luckily, this wasn’t the case. The trailer just felt way too bombastic for what it actually was, but I’m thankful that it stuck more to what Mafia is. I knew I was going to get the game, but the $50 price tag is what made me preorder it. Looking back, I probably could have waited for the game for a bit of a discount, but I also want to support the developers. I really want to see more Mafia in the future! This game also made me want to go back and experience Mafia III, so I call that a win!
Did you play Old Country? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
The Tired Obsidian 
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