Games like Mafia: The Old Country don’t really exist anymore. It feels like an open world game without the open world. The developer has created a stripped back affair where the story takes centre stage. If you’re expecting some sprawling Mafia epic akin to The Godfather, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re thinking this is a lazy action-adventure, you’re also wrong. Hangar 13 has corrected the mistakes of Mafia III and made something that focuses on a tight knit world and strong characters, where Sicily is a leading player in itself.
You play as Enzo, sent to work in a sulphur mine by his father. Now a slave, he risks his life every day for mobsters. Treated like an animal living for his next meal. After losing his friend in the tunnels after a quake, he runs away and finds shelter with the Torrisi family, the rival crime family of the ones who imprisoned you at the mines. It plays out like a classic mobster movie over an extended time period, with time jumps between chapters that see Enzo in pivotal moments of the story.
Within a few hours, some of the plot points become predictable. Enzo becomes a favourite of the Don. He also catches the eye of his daughter, Isabella. Just because you can see where a story is going, though, that doesn’t make it boring. And indeed, I enjoyed where Enzo’s journey went. The acting is great all-round, despite it being familiar within the genre. While Mafia: The Old Country is filled with clichés, I still found myself hooked on where it was going. I appreciated the stripped back approach to Hangar 13’s world-building and the linear world-building.
While Mafia: The Old Country doesn’t feature an open world, Sicily is stunning. The visual scale is always impressive despite the fact you never get to see more of it. Riding through its streets or in its countryside as mountains illuminated by the sun stand tall in the background never get boring to look at. The level of detail in everything makes it feel like its own character. I always craved to see more of it, and if anything I would have loved to have spent more time out in its sun-drenched beauty.
That need to explore never goes away, and that’s unfortunate, but again: this isn’t open world. It’s a paint-by-numbers adventure that feels more like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 than GTA. The gameplay is predictable and straightforward. Gunplay is fine. Driving is fine. The stealth sections are simple, but they do give you a chance to not go into every section with guns blazing. If you’re after more freedom, you won’t find it here. If you’re wanting less hand-holding, you’re not going to find it with Mafia: The Old Country.
There were times when I would have liked to have been let off the leash. To wander around and see more of the world, or to interact with people and places. You’re walking through chapters that usher you along strictly. Despite Enzo’s unpredictable future in those opening minutes in the mine, you’re eventually shoe-horned into his future with no opportunities to carve your own destiny. I’m not disappointed by the way Hangar 13 has done this, but some people might be. It all depends on what you want from it.
There’s no map littered with icons and markers, and no overwhelming skill trees and upgrade systems. Instead, Mafia: The Old Country feels like a 70s Mafia movie. It feels predictable at times, but it is wonderfully acted, and the juxtaposition of gorgeous scenery and the violence is well done. You’re playing through a movie-like experience with simplified gameplay in favour of well-designed characters and a stunning backdrop of early 20th century Sicily. If you’re expecting anything else, you may be disappointed.
Mafia: The Old Country is rather short in comparison to previous entries. It might not be the gangster epic you wanted, but it’s definitely worthy of your time. I loved the characters, and while Enzo’s journey from nobody to somebody has been seen before, it is still an enjoyable story. While the gameplay isn’t as gripping or enjoyable as it could be, it’s smooth and reliable. There will be those that want more, but as someone who enjoys a good gangster flick, Hangar 13 has done a solid job of giving us just that.
