Mafia: The Old Country Review, Mediocre Gameplay

That firstglimpse of the Sicilian countryside in Hangar 13’sMafia: The Old Countryis a gobsmacking moment, with those distant mountain ranges and crumbling ruins framingthe pastoral splendor of busy vineyards and dirt roads. It’s a land populated and maintained by ruthless dons and humble peasants alike, supporting the story’s classic climb through a criminal hierarchy, one wardrobe upgrade at a time.Published by 2K,Mafia: The Old Countryis another third-person action narrative argument against open-world bloat, but its gameplay is as bland as room-temp ragù out of the jar.

Lacking a formal number 4 in its title,Mafia: The Old Countryfunctions as a series prequel, with several elbowed hints at the grander lore.There’s a quaint rhythm to its flow, measured between cinematics, chatty travel, and the murder of a dozen-plus thugs. Rinse and repeat, chapter to chapter, with an occasional larger set piece thrown in the mix.

Enzo stares at the camera in a three piece suit in the San Celeste bazaar in Mafia The Old Country

Which all just makes itMafia, through and through, warts and all, unbothered by the day’s gaming trends.If the eye candy of this sun-dappled Sicily weren’t quite so extraordinary, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the game’s rigidity as that of a decade-old remake. I’d generously describe the experience asfocused, but it’s built upon a hodgepodge of mechanics, none of them above average.

From the Sulfur Mines to Taking What’s Mine

An immersive intro sequence acquaints us with Enzo Favara,an indentured slave in the sulfur mines sold by his father at birth. He toils alongside a beloved friend as they plot their escape from a living hell, withMafia: The Old Countrykeeping you underground before unveiling the wider vision of Sicily, a beauty tempered by Enzo’s abject poverty.

Tragedy befalls the pair, and the wicked Spadaro family’s goons chase Enzo off into the night. He’s found and rescued by Don Torrisi’s men, smooth criminals who will eventually raise Enzo to early adulthood, wherehis emergent ruthlessness, cunning, and boldnessposition him within the Cosa Nostra proper, complete with a dramatic indoctrination by candlelight.

Young Enzo crouches behind some crates at the sulfur mines in Mafia The Old Country

I wish I could say that Enzo was disarmingly cool, or brilliantly written, or drenched in beguiling charisma,or someone I even liked by the end. Maybe that’s intentional, but a child miner turned made man should act as a perfect platform for this mafioso antihero, and I found him plain as sawdust. Coming fromMafia III’s captivating Lincoln Clay, Enzo is a dud, which makes the game’s central romance a nonstarter, though the rest ofMafia: The Old Country’s cast fares much better.

Bringing A Knife to a Boss Fight

Mafia: The Old Country’s Touted Knife Fights Join Other Underbaked Mechanics

Mafiagames famously tend towards linearity. There exists a vibrant world just barely out of reach, rendered to pretty backgrounds to drive past on your way to the game’s next cinematic segue and shootout. InMafia: The Old Country, you’d love to experience that gorgeous world more intimately, but it’s best enjoyed from a distance, andthere’s little to interact with whenever you push closer.

The game features a few chase scenes and exactlyonerace, complete with generous checkpoints. It’s not a particularly good race, and the collection of old cars in the game handle better than they realistically would; a preorder vehicle happens to be leagues ahead of the rest, which will frustrate some players. Basic horse-riding gameplay rounds out long-distance traversal, but it’s as simplified as the driving, with cosmetic bridles and alternate paint jobs for vehicles doing little to sweeten the pot.

Enzo and Luca follow a covered wagon down a dirt road in Sicily in Mafia The Old Country

The promoted knife combat is no great shakes, either. It functions fine enough and features in most boss encounters, but it’s dismissively easy to parry or dodge through every fight on standard difficulty. Knives also play into some active combat, but having to resharpen your blade after every few stealth kills is a drag.

A Waist-High Wall Extravaganza

Basic Stealth and Repetitive Cover-Based Shootouts Fail to Leave A Lasting Impression

You’ll spend the most time inMafia: The Old Countryshooting mooks, butthe gunplay is arguably worse than that of 2016’sMafia III. That means weaker feedback, poor aim-sense on controller (rendered manageable after wrestling with settings), and that same rudimentary cover-based combat series fans expect by this point.

Some tedious and simplistic stealth systems are available, all of which you’ve seen before. you may toss coins to distract, creep up for a quick stab or strangle, and deposit your corpses in conspicuous trunks. The latter technique is only minimally useful, as it’s rare to find a high-traffic area where another unseen patrol unit could ever stumble onto one of your kills.

Getting spotted transitions the game into full-on action, exposingMafia: The Old Country’s bog-standard AI, a predictable mix of guys who sacrificially run to your cover point while others routinely peek over waist-high walls like well-dressed prairie dogs awaiting slaughter. You’re allowed only one sidearm and one long gun at a time, though you can fetch firearms off downed enemies. Oh, and let’s not forget the ability to slowly rifle through bodies for bullets, bandages, and Dinari, a currency which unlocks cosmetics and weapons from local fence/mechanic Pasquale.

Dinari can be spent on various in-game items like new horses, guns, knives, and relic-like rosary charms. However, many missions force-equip specific weapons and vehicles, so there’s decreasing value to these purchases.

Regardless of the scenario or equipment, the game’s pacing is weighed down by the usual suspects. Story sections and most building interiors force the player to walk slowly, mission-forfeiting barriers coat the edges of the play zone, crevices must be squeezed through in lieu of a loading screen, and you cannot vault most walls or fences.

An Utterly Splendid Sicily

The Story May Be Overly Familiar, But The World Is Exquisitely Detailed

Mafia: The Old Country’s story is unsurprisingly familiar but occasionally inspired; anything to do with the jerks who once tormented young Enzo proves satisfying to resolve, and there are wonderful bits of culture and detail to unearth. Not just collectibles like newspaper artwork and saint’s cards, but fine snapshots like pans of tomato sauce,nonnasmaking pasta in the kitchen, or a lovely scene where a gramophone serves as a car stereo.The old vehicles are some of the most intricate I’ve seen in a game, right down to their hanging lanterns and leather-strapped trunks.

I played through the game in English and sometimes turned on Sicilian, the latter being an incredible addition to the setting that will delight anyone seeking further immersion intoMafia: The Old Country’s atmosphere.A returning free-roam modeunlocks after completion and lets you explore the wider game map at your leisure, where you may track down collectibles and vibe out to the countryside.Sadly, restrictions prevent any violent mischief in Explore mode.

For anyone putting off collectible-hunting for Explore mode, note that certain items are only accessible during specific missions, which are identified on the game’s map.

At approximately 15 hours,Mafia: The Old Countrydoesn’t overstay its welcome,but I still grew weary of Enzo by the midway point. The game’s romance plot never convinced me, and the flatness of Enzo’s characterization contrasted harshly with the narrative’s emotional core and drama, diminishing the impact of the final chapters.

Past that, day-one PC performance is promising, though a framerate-killing stutterbefore every interactive sequence puts a damper on the experience. Even installing directly to my M.2 storage, this significant stutter introduced every gameplay transition and botched immersion. I’m betting it will be addressed in an early update, but it’s still disappointing to find in a release build.

Chapter to Chapter, Shootout to Shootout, Dust to Dust

Mafia: The Old Country is Fun Enough For 15 Hours, But it Feels Like A Game Out of Time

Mafia: The Old Countrywill not convert the nonbelievers. It’s a straightforward crime mini-epic with gorgeous set dressing, even though some character models would have benefited from another pass. I wish Enzo felt more alive and less like a basic cipher, and struggled to understand some daft choices near the ending, which does at least deliver a few fun surprises besides.

In 2012,Rockstar’s hotly anticipatedMax Payne 3split audiences, though many recognized its no-nonsense linear action as a statement of merit for this style of game. Before that,2011’sL.A. Noiresold the concept of an interactive narrative which used a primarily noninteractive open-world sandbox as a backdrop, much in line with theMafiafranchise, but prioritizing choice-based detective work to emphasize the drama.

The core gameplay in both of these now-vintage titles outshinesMafia: The Old Country. It’s still an enjoyable enough journey through a spectacular environment, but not a single gameplay system stands up to scrutiny, resulting in a series of shootouts and cinematics platforming the least interesting character in his own game.Mafia: The Old Countryplays it regrettably safe, while still delivering a serviceable crime story prequel and astraightforward experience it promised for the price.