Category: Games

Mafia: The Old Country Is a Classic Mob Tale Told With an Eye on the Future

Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief

To understand Mafia: The Old Country, you have to understand that this is a project concerned with looking back. It looks back, with deep research, at the very birth of the idea of the Mafia itself. It looks back, with real reverence, at the series it’s a part of. Hell, even its setting – the areas surrounding San Celeste, a Sicilian town at the turn of the 20^th Century – is a callback to the opening mission of Mafia 2. But it takes those nostalgic ideas, and gives us a look forward at what Mafia can be in a modern gaming landscape.

Having played three hours of the game, it’s a fascinating exercise in marrying what players expect from a modern third-person narrative action game with what they loved about a series that began more than two decades ago. Key to that is, yes, there is a gorgeously realized Sicilian countryside for players to immerse themselves in, but this is not an open world game as we’ve come to expect it.

“The formula we’ve chosen to follow for Mafia: The Old Country is much more similar to that of Mafia 1 and Mafia 2,” explains Game Director, Alex Cox. “There is a world to explore, but it’s a backdrop to the story, it’s not the focus. It’s not an open world game in a conventional sense. The world is there to kind of provide an immersive environment for the story to take place.

“But we wanted something new and fresh as well. For us this game is the start of a new generation of Mafia games. We’re not in hock to nostalgia, we’re not bound by the rules of the past.”

You’ll feel that right away. In your typical game, gameplay leads story – you’ll know the familiar feeling of walking into a room that feels suspiciously like a shooting gallery, or up to a device that definitely contains a puzzle. But in Mafia: The Old Country, story always takes the lead. In my time with the game, I never walked into a firefight, stealth section, car race, or horse ride that didn’t have a reason to be there.

It all serves a story that follows the same balance of old and new. Taken in one sense, this is a deeply nostalgic mob tale – we follow our main character, Enzo, over the course of years, dipping into the key moments of his transformation from a miner to a made man, meeting the unpredictable Don Torrisi, his noble enforcer Luca, and his wayward nephew Cesare.

But there’s much here that isn’t familiar – the Mafia was treated more like a secret society than a criminal business at this time in history, and that plays out fascinatingly as you wander the Sicilian countryside to collect protection money, take down camps of brigands, and indulge in the pleasures the accompanying loot brings you.

Even more unusually, there’s also a true love story built into the mix. Enzo falls for the Don’s daughter, Isabella, and we see their forbidden romance bloom in a way few games would make space for.

“There are topics that I don’t think [have been covered] in a video game before,” enthuses Cox. “Real stuff that affects real people everyday, not in video games. We used cinema and prestige TV as a benchmark for us in terms of the quality of where we want to get to from terms of our storytelling.”

The premium that Hangar 13 have placed on storytelling means that this is truly Enzo’s tale, not a straightforward player fantasy. Yes, there’s a gorgeous, Unreal Engine-powered Sicily arrayed around you and, yes, you can explore it between missions – but this game wants to make the way you travel through that world feel believable. When Enzo has a goal, you’re not able to deviate in a way that wouldn’t be true to life.

It gives a sense of cinematic pace to what can be a very freeform genre. There are times during my playthrough where I’m simply on a pleasant horseback ride with Isabella – no emergent shootouts, no distractions, other than the landscape stretching to the sea. You’re playing a story, not a sandbox.

But when the action does become earned, there’s a lot to play with here. Don’t mistake The Old Country’s restraint for a lack of ambition – there’s a lot of classic gameplay thinking here, it’s more that the delivery feels different to what we’ve come to expect.

The game oscillates smoothly from character building to energetic bursts of pure gameplay. In an early mission, as Enzo learns the ropes, I’m sent to recover a seized shipment of whiskey, and it transforms into a stealth game as I creep through a police station storehouse, distracting guards, stashing knocked-out threats in hiding places, and making out without raising the alarm.

In a later mission, Enzo and Cesare take a joyride in a car around Roman ruins, before Isabella’s kidnapped and a full firefight breaks out – and the game suddenly becomes a surprisingly exacting cover shooter, and subsequently becomes a car chase, then a horse chase, and then an infiltration of the kidnappers’ camp.

Most impressive is when it combines multiple ideas in a single sequence. Eventually, Enzo is trusted enough to take the lead when a local businessman needs to be… made an example of. First, I’m able to visit the Don’s weapons dealer, and introduced to an extensive variety of weapon types and optional combat systems (take it from me, being able to use a throwing knife for stealth takedowns is great). From there, I need to pick my own way into a mansion’s grounds, taking a more lethal approach to stealth than previously – until I overreach and it seamlessly becomes an all-out gunfight, and then an on-foot chase scene back through the grounds when my target escapes.

But all of the above ties directly back to the story of Enzo himself – we learn about the character through what he does, and each scene has repercussions on those around him. None of this feels throwaway.

It’s a style that Hangar 13 believes in enough to say that this isn’t an experiment, it’s a full-blown direction for the series. “We’re putting a marker out there as to where the quality of our narrative and cinematic presentation sit – and that is something which is kind of a new benchmark for the series,” says Cox. The plan, from here, is to use this style to tell more epic stories from across the Mafia timeline – all still standalone enough to feel fresh, but with events rippling from one game to another, rewarding fans for returning.

Unlike most developers, for Hangar 13 it’s less about finding new gameplay mechanics and more about finding new stories that can stand as proudly as this one. “When we think about these epic, multi-generational crime narratives [from film and literature] – that’s how we want the franchise to be,” concludes Cox. “The feeling that there’s many stories told within this universe that overlap with one another. If we can make that the experience of playing Mafia games, I think we’ll be successful in the future.”

Mafia: The Old Country comes to Xbox Series X|S on Friday, August 8. Game Pass Ultimate members who purchase the game will be able to stream it with cloud gaming on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC and compatible smart TVs.

Mafia: The Old Country Deluxe Edition

☆☆☆☆☆
2

★★★★★

$59.99

Pre-order

Pre-order Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition to receive the Soldato Pack featuring distinctive cosmetics and a helpful Charm.*

Mafia: The Old Country Deluxe Edition lets you descend into Sicily’s criminal underworld in true mafioso style with a variety of bonus items for your collection.

Deluxe Edition includes:
• Full base game
• Padrino Pack
– “Lupara Speciale” Shotgun
– “Vendetti Speciale” Pistol
– “Immortale” Charm
– “Padrino” Outfit
– “Stiletto Speciale” Knife
– “Eckhart Speciale” Limousine
– “Cosimo” Horse and Accessories
• Gatto Nero Pack
– “Bodeo Nero” Pistol
– “Velocità” Charm
– “Gatto Nero” Outfit
– “Carozella Nero” Race Car
• Bonus materials
– Digital Art Book
– Original Score

Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Family in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era.

Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he’s ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family.

His oath to the Mafia, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth:

Family Takes Sacrifice.

This thrilling narrative is brought to life by stunning visuals, cinematic storytelling, and the authentic realism that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for. Enzo’s story unfolds in a time when skill with a stiletto blade was a deadly asset, a lupara sawed-off shotgun was a go-to firearm, murderous vendettas raged for decades, and mafiosi patrolled their protection rackets on foot, horseback, or behind the wheel of turn-of-the-century motorcars.

UNCOVER A MERCILESS WORLD OF ORGANIZED CRIME
The rough-hewn beauty of Sicily’s rugged countryside is a stark contrast to the grime of urban alleyways—but the treachery and violence of this gangland run just as deep. Rival families and their ruthless leaders wage unending turf wars in the shadows, hidden from the public eye. Trust is a fleeting rarity, and loyalties are worth killing for.

PLAY A CLASSIC MOB MOVIE
You’re the antihero of this thrilling 1900s story, living out every tense moment of Enzo’s descent into Sicily’s clandestine criminal underworld. Come face-to-face with a cast of unpredictable allies and cutthroat enemies in this classic crime drama, rich in period-authentic details that will immerse you in this treacherous Mediterranean setting.

FIGHT TO SURVIVE
Engage in life-or-death combat, be it up close with a blade or from afar with a variety of firearms. Ambush enemies for vicious stealth takedowns, or slice them up in close-quarters duels. If you prefer firearms, wield period-authentic handguns, rifles, and shotguns to overcome any odds and doggedly eliminate the Don’s enemies.

TRAVEL IN AUTHENTIC STYLE
Traverse a wide range of Sicilian environments, from underground crypts and crumbling ruins to bountiful vineyards and ornate opera houses. To reach your next target or make a hurried getaway, you’ll need to gallop on horseback across cobbled streets and open fields, or speed down dirt roads in authentic turn-of-the-century automobiles.

*Pre-order offer available for Mafia: The Old Country Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition until launch. Internet connection required to redeem bonus content. Items will be automatically entitled in-game at launch. Terms apply.

Purchase grants a license to the digital product subject to the Terms of Service (“ToS”) and Privacy Policy in game and at www.take2games.com/legal and www.take2games.com/privacy. Access to special/bonus/online features, content, services, or functions (“Special Features”), may require single-use serial code, additional fee, and/or online account registration (minimum age varies). Special Features may require internet connection, may not be available to all users or at all times, and may be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms in accordance with the ToS. See https://bit.ly/2K-Online-Services-Status for availability of certain Special Features. Violation of the ToS may result in restriction or termination of access to game or online account.

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