The final scene played out, and the credits began to roll. Right then, I realised Mafia The Old Country was truly something special.
Serving as a prequel to the franchise, Mafia The Old Country transports players to early 1900s Sicily—a far cry from the bustling streets of Empire Bay. Instead of skyscrapers and urban chaos, you’re immersed in a world of vineyards, rugged countryside, and dramatic mountain backdrops.
In Mafia The Old Country you play as Enzo. Sold by his father at a young age and now a ‘Carusu’ (Sicilian word for mine boy) working in the sulfa mines owned by the Spadaro crime family.
The story starts with Enzo and his friend in the tunnels of the mine looking for their stash box containing money and a postcard from Empire Bay. Enzo is then forced to go back into the mine to find out what has happened to a group of missing workers. You quickly find out there is gas inside the mine, which has killed the group and caused the tunnels to become unstable.
After fleeing the mine and witnessing the death of your friend, you are quickly pitted in a knife fight with Spardaro’s number 2. After leaving a scar on his face and a taste for blood in his mouth, you quickly flee via horse, looking for a place to hide out. But this is cut short with Spardaro’s men hot on your heels.
After coming face-to-face with death for a second time, you are saved by a man called Luca, underboss to the Torrisi crime family.
From here, you are brought to the Torrisi’s vineyard, starting off with decent ‘honest’ work before making your way up from ‘Carusu’ to ‘made man’ and part of the family.
It is one of the most compelling narratives in the entire ‘Mafia’ franchise. Mixed with a forbidden love (Romeo and Juliet) style love between Enzo and the Don’s daughter, Isabella, the looming tension of war between the rival families, and also an internal struggle for Enzo on what he believes is right, constitutes too much in this life.
But it’s not just the narrative that drives the plot. The environmental storytelling adds a deeper layer to Mafia The Old Country’s story. The ever-looming volcano in the backdrop of the beautifully rendered Sicilian countryside had me on edge the entire game. And this build of tension paid off at the end of the game.
So yes, this is by far one of the best ‘Mafia’ games story-wise as the game puts more focus on its narrative, its characters, and its emotional elements more than the open world dynamic of say ‘Mafia 3’.
It’s by doing this that it gives a truly memorable experience where the player connects with a story that resonates with them even after the credits roll.
But what about the open world?
Yes, you can explore the map during missions, taking the long scenic route to get to your destination. But this is a game that puts its story first with a very linear approach to its gameplay. There aren’t any free-roaming sections like in previous games. But as I say, Mafia The Old Country still lets you explore to a degree while taking part in the story. It’s a lush and beautiful world the game is set in. So why not take the scenic route to soak up all the beautifully rendered scenery? And while the game does have a skip to destination button while driving, I rarely used this, as you’re missing out on the beauty the game has to offer.
In terms of gameplay, this ‘Mafia’ does something unique when it comes to combat, where it places more emphasis on knife play than on guns. Yes, you can use guns – and a wide array of them – when taking out enemies, but with the knife as a key weapon that Enzo has, you can use it to take out enemies in a more stealthy and rewarding manner rather than going in all guns blazing. Yet it’s not just stealth which the knife gives to the gameplay.
You can use it to crack open locks to doors and use it to open safes and lock boxes containing rewards. But using the knife to open things or even take out enemies can cause it to go blunt from excessive use. You can buy stronger blades, but always try to have a whetstone with you to sharpen your blade, giving you more use of it. This makes you use the knife more wisely. So if you’re trying to quietly take out an enemy, but your knife is needed further on, try and subdue them. You will need to mash the square button in order to do this successfully, and bigger enemies require quicker button mashing, so be prepared.
Finally, the knife is used as the key weapon in boss fights. Here, Enzo is pitted one-on-one with his foe. You can use a combination of stabbing, slashing, heavy stabs to break blocks, parrying
and dodging to take them out. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it becomes an intense fight to the death once you get the hang of it.
Gun combat is back, but with a twist. With Enzo being young (and the youngest protagonist of the series) and inexperienced with guns, there is a sway to aiming. It’s not just aim and the sights stay still like in previous games, the sway adds a slight difficulty to using a gun. It’s a bit strange at first to get used to, but you then start to immerse yourself in the realism of it and really think about your aim.
To help with this, you have a unique skill tree, which is depicted as a prayer necklace. You start off with a rusty medallion and wooden beads. Throughout Mafia The Old Country, you can collect new charms and medallions, which can be added to the necklace, giving you perks to help Enzo in his life as a made man. The Sant’Agata medallion, for example, gives you invulnerability near death, and the Fantasma bead gives you quieter footsteps, helping you in stealth. You can purchase new necklaces in Pasquale’s Store, giving you more bead slots to place more important charms.
You can get around the map either by horse or car. Horse gives you an authentic feel, roaming the countryside, while going by car gives you that modern feel, creeping into an old world, adapting to a new and exciting time. Both feel responsive to drive/ride. You can get a better horse with more or fewer stamina boosts to go faster (which comes in handy in a chase). There is also a wide array of cars to choose from to build on your car encyclopedia.
The standout part of ‘Mafia The Old Country’ is the acting and characters. Each character was compelling, with some truly outstanding performances. Don Torisi, Enzo, Isabella, Tino, Luca, Cesare and Don Spardaro are all compelling characters with some of the best performances I’ve ever seen in a mafia game. It’s ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Goodfellas’ level of acting here. I got lost in the performances and was emotionally invested in the story that I found myself tearing up at certain pivotal parts of Mafia The Old Country.
A truly outstanding was given to Mafia The Old Country.
The soundtrack also needs a special mention, as it’s one of the best in the series, giving that authentic Italian vibe and keeping you hooked throughout the entire playthrough.
Overall, ‘Mafia The Old Country’ was an absolute blast of a game to play. I’ve never been this invested in a game’s story for quite a while. ‘Hanger 13’ seems to have listened to the criticisms and positive feedback from the previous games and has crafted a game which puts its story and graphics at its heart. It’s a compelling game that I urge you to play, as you will truly enjoy every moment of it.
Mafia The Old Country Trailer
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Game code was provided by the Publisher.
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