I know what you must be thinking. “Gasp! indieRift covering a triple A title? J’accuse!” Well, I attended a panel about it at PAX and wrote a first look that got (for me) a lot of attention. So… deal with it.
Mafia: The Old Country is the latest in the acclaimed series published by 2K, developed by Hanger 13, available on Steam, PS5, and the Series series. The first three games all took place in fictional cities based on American locations, set between the 1930’s to the 1960’s. MTOC takes a different approach by, as the name implies, taking this across the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean island of Sicily just after the turn of the 20th century. But that’s about the only thing truly different about this title. MTOC is a Mafia game through and through, going back to the series’ more linear, story driven roots after Mafia III dipped its toes in the open world side of the pool.
Given the time period and the setting, this is kind of like playing Godfather Part II, minus all the narrative time jumping to events that take place decades later. The similarities end there, as MTOC is an original story where you play as Enzo Favara, a carusu whose father sold him into a life of back breaking work in the sulfur mines at a young age. The story picks up right as he and a friend were making moves to escape their hellish fates. After a cave-in kills his friend and nearly buries him alive, Enzo lashes out at the foreman, steals a horse and runs for his life. This is how he meets Don Torrisi, a rival to the man who owns Enzo, and this is how his life changes forever. What follows is a rags to riches tale of revenge, retribution, and a forbidden love.
The corner of Sicily this game takes place in is the fictional town of San Celeste and the surrounding countryside. It features coastal towns, farming communities, the mines, as well as other budding industrial sites, dotted among the rolling, amber hills. Enzo goes from the mines to being the Don’s chosen general. The mines feel dirty, claustrophobic, and on the verge of collapse. But on the other end of that spectrum, the locations of elegance have a prim pristine about them that is the perfect juxtaposition to what Enzo came up in. No matter the locale, it’s beautifully rendered on Unreal 5. Taking the time to look around will reveal more than just gorgeous graphics. The story is told through the conditions of the poor versus the rich. The mismanagement of the mines resulting in their conditions, versus the sprawling mansions that the Dons live in.
Where the graphics fall short for me are in the actual character models. I was playing on the Series X, and the character models always took time to fully render. Dialogues would begin with a clean shaven Enzo, and elderly characters have perfectly smooth skin. At some point the final models kick in. Facial hair and wrinkles abound. Once they are fully rendered, they look just as good as the environments. This is showcased best in their facial reactions. The Unreal 5 Engine allows for games to take that next step towards expressive, wordless acting, bringing the medium closer to what we get from TV and movies. It really helps immerse you in the narrative.
Speaking of which, how well the characters physically act in the cut scenes is only a factor in the equation of MTOC’s story. In order for that to be as good as it is, there needs to be a strong script with equally as strong voice acting delivering it. And that is easily the best part of this game. Enzo is mere skin and bones when he escapes the mines to the Torrisi vineyard. The Don’s mercy spared his life and gave him a roof over his head, but he would need to pay it off with menial work. He starts off literally shoveling shit, although mostly he’s a delivery boy. During this time he meets the Don’s daughter, Isabella. Clearly dripping in that malnourished rizz, a budding romance blossoms. Don Torrisi, being the upstanding crime boss that he is, has big plans for his daughter’s future, and which family she will marry into. So of course that means the two of them need to keep their love a secret. It isn’t long before Enzo gets to prove himself and is invited into the family. All the while, the Don who owns the mines and his generals, including Enzo’s old foreman, are ever present. The story takes place over the course of two years in fourteen chapters. The whole experience is well written and animated, and can be played through in a fairly quick run. If you just focus on the story and ignore the collectibles scattered all over the map, a full playthrough can be completed in about ten hours. Which now leads us into what I feel is the weakest part of MTOC.
To be fair, the game plays well enough when you’re allowed to control Enzo. Key phrase being “when you’re allowed”. Much like the previous Mafia games, this is a third person game that features some shooting, stealth, and driving segments. Aiming and shooting is tight. All the guns are turn of the century accurate, so no automatic fire. You’ll have access to various versions of pistols, rifles, and shotguns. The stealth sections are numerous but optional. There’s only one path through the story, so being a sneaky snake is only necessary if you’re going for the trophies or achievements. If you feel like you’re up for the challenge, you’ll find this game is very generous in your favor. Enzo has an instinct mode, similar to the one from The Last of Us games, so there’s never a question where the bad guys are. And they only cluster together until you sneak to a certain vicinity that triggers a brief exchange between the two oblivious guards, after which they separate to a distance that gives you more than enough opportunity to close in. If you’ve never played a game with stealth mechanics, or they aren’t your strongest suit, this is a good ambassador for you. The stealth is easy, and the only consequence is getting into a shoot out that can be a lot of fun, as well. Driving is split between horseback and driving turn of the century cars. The former is good because very few roads are paved outside of the towns, and a lot of foot paths connect the main roads. Horses are good for navigating these. But cars are cars, and those get you places faster. They control well because they’re old and don’t move fast. Of course you can still lose control and do the kinds of flips that cars in games are oft to do, but that’s easy to avoid if you’re careful. With all those positives, you must be wondering why I said that the gameplay is the weakest part of MTOC. For that, I would like to redirect your attention to the key phrase from the beginning of this paragraph.
“When you’re allowed.”
Playing through the story of MTOC feels less like you, as the player, have real agency in its progression, and more like you’re an audience member who will occasionally move Enzo along his attended path, interlaced with driving and combat moments. You can’t stray very far away from that path. If you try, a countdown pops up to urge you to return. With one or two chapters being an exception. To counteract that complaint, completing the game gives you a free roam mode, allowing for full exploration of the region. Back to my original point, the first two hours of the story is when Enzo is working his way up from the bottom. All that stuff I said about him being a delivery boy is reflective in the gameplay. Don Torrisi’s vineyard is famous for its wine, and you’ll be delivering a lot of it as you meet the characters who will carry the rest of the game. You’re given a room where you can change Enzo’s costume. You meet characters who hint towards future mechanics you can utilize, like the man who lives on the Torrisi estate who tells you to stay out of his workshop. With all that, you’d think that there would be a point when the game kind of opens up. Your room is the center point of where you start each mission, and you can customize your look and loadout at your leisure. Same with starting the current mission. But you’re an audience member more than an active player at these points of the chapters, so areas like your room or that workshop are actually only accessible at certain moments of the game. As is tradition in the series, there’s only one ending to MTOC, which really hammers home the feeling of being stuck on an intended path throughout the game. It feels very restrictive if you’re a naturally curious gamer. The kind who will be given a fork in the road, will be told which path is correct, and will intentionally take the other path first. Every single time. Fortunately, as mentioned, there’s a solid story carrying the game with great acting from everyone involved. And a free roam mode once you play it to completion.
End of the day, Mafia: The Old Country is a BIN IT. It’s a good game, even if it mostly is because it’s a great turn of the century gangster story. That time period can sometimes make the gameplay feel a little dated with the older guns and cars, but the graphics will quickly remind you what year this came out. In a year where companies are announcing and releasing games at higher and higher pricetags, it’s refreshing to see this release at a reasonable $50. Is there $50 worth of content? I would say that’s debatable. It’s an offer you can refuse until it’s marked down for whatever holiday sale comes up that 2K participates in.
PC/STEAM – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1941540/Mafia_The_Old_Country/
PlayStation 5: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10007134
Xbox Series S/X: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/mafia-the-old-country/9P834N9S4LL0
