The famous video game saga Mafia returns with a fourth opus set in the Sicilian countryside. We were able to go through the whole adventure of The Old Country: here is what we thought of it.
A picturesque Sicily, an emerging but brutal mafia network, a dive into the 1900s… this is a synopsis that arouses curiosity and fascination. The famous Mafia franchise returns with a brand new opus, The Old Country, which aims to be a return to the sources and origins of organized crime.
Like its predecessors Mafia III (2016) and Mafia: Definitive Edition (2020), the new episode of the saga was developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games. This new action-adventure video game, which we were able to test extensively, no longer hides any secrets from us. Has The Old Country managed to fit into the generally very successful line of the license? Answer in this article.
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A scenario that is not very revolutionary but gripping and explosive
Unlike previous episodes of the Mafia franchise, The Old Country does not set its plot in the United States but in Italy, throughout the 1900s. The quiet Sicilian countryside, lulled by the sweet song of crickets, is the playground of growing rivalries between gangs and mafia families.
Mafia: The Old Country lets you play as young Enzo, initiated into the Torrini family and aspiring to become a member of this Sicilian criminal sphere. Combining fights against various enemies, ambushes, exploration and even chases in the countryside, the new episode of the Mafia license presents itself as a thrilling and fast-paced action-adventure game, with the main plot coming together in nearly 10 hours.
The story of The Old Country particularly stands out for its speed. Time jumps regularly punctuate the plot, whether it’s just a few hours or entire years. The scenario unfolds throughout the 1900s and therefore spans a long historical period.
The speed of the storyline of Mafia: The Old Country is also based on the story facilities surrounding the protagonist. Enzo, whom the player plays, quickly attracts the attention of high-ranking mafia officials and immediately becomes involved in a romantic relationship with Isabella, the daughter of Don Rodrigo, head of the Torrini family. An incredible opportunity offers itself to the main person, although originally a simple worker in the sulfur mines, for no real apparent reason.
The various characters constituting the universe of The Old Country all stand out with their own personalities and temperaments. Initially quite caricatured, they benefit from careful development which helps create unique, recognizable and endearing identities.
Mafia: The Old Country sets its framework perfectly and knows how to offer a quality scenario without redundancies or boredom. We really enjoyed its various missions and didn’t see the time passing once we had the controller in hand. The last quarter of the plot will surprise you through its scenes of action and emotion, as a Coppola film would do.
Graphics as charming as they are exceptional
This is undoubtedly the strong point of The Old Country: the graphics. Worked, remarkable, these are breathtaking in their realism. The latest installment of Mafia runs on Unreal Engine 5 and promises state-of-the-art technical capabilities. The game’s landscapes are charming, magnificent and authentic: Sicily has never been so well represented.
Despite the action and tension that punctuates the story of Mafia: The Old Country, there is always a time when the player enjoys blissfully contemplating the picturesque environments of the map. The villages, lost paths and even natural rivers allow a total immersion in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. We bitterly deplore the absence of a photo mode, which would have allowed us to capture magnificent photos.
Often considered a weak point in video games, the characters’ faces are, in The Old Country, perfectly realistic. These transmit all the emotions through impeccable accuracy: a human glow shines in the eyes and reinforces the player’s immersion. The motion design is impeccable.
Few visual bugs are worth mentioning for The Old Country, even if it is not impossible to encounter some clipping problems during walks in the open world and cutscenes.
Gameplay that suffers from major shortcomings
Limited exploration
The open world of The Old Country is undoubtedly the most likely to spark debate among players. If the Mafia game submits a map that can be consulted at any time, it will be impossible, during the course of the main story, to walk around freely as in most games with an open world.
In reality, The Old Country presents itself more as a corridor game. The player is forced to strictly follow the plot without being able to wander around the Sicilian countryside. The missions follow one another in the open world, but it is impossible to stray too far from the objectives, in which case a countdown is triggered to summon you to return to the right place.
Despite these artificial barriers that frame your game, the game is not stifling and each time offers various landscapes for your adventures. The areas accessible to you always hide nooks and crannies in which various collectibles are hidden.
Mafia: The Old Country only reveals its entire map in the “Free Exploration” mode, which allows you to wander around Sicily without the slightest mission to complete. Each collectible is indicated on the map through an icon, which will probably not suit all players, who would have hoped to take advantage of their exploring side. Unable to place a point on the map to indicate the route to take: The Old Country makes it impractical to find collectibles.
Frustrating combat phases
Mafia: The Old Country is full of combat phases in which two alternatives are offered: action or discretion. The protagonist of the story will confront the Sicilian authorities and enemy mafias on numerous occasions through missions, the vast majority of which are very gripping.
However, The Old Country’s strength isn’t in fighting. The AIs do not stand out for their intelligence and seem very talkative.
Like Assassin’s Creed, this Mafia opus has eagle vision to spot enemies despite surrounding structures. However, it is impossible to mark them to follow their movements. It would probably have been more immersive and engaging to remove this feature.
Despite everything, Mafia knows how to think about its combat maps and always offers different environments that are never redundant. The areas are large enough to allow different paths to be taken to victory: the games will therefore be unique for each player.
The Old Country places great importance on knife fights, a major characteristic of Italian mafia circles. If the idea is original in addition to being historically correct, fighting with a blade is not fun. The “Parry” and “Dodge” options only work very rarely and the damage continues with increasing frustration.
Unwieldy chase scenes
Another great feature of The Old Country: car chases. The escapades in the Sicilian countryside and villages are absolutely beautiful and provide a certain change of scenery. But once again, these phases of play are not always fun.
The driving in this episode of Mafia is very impractical. The cars are difficult to handle and often end up in the scenery. Most of the bushes that abound in the meadows are impossible to cross and appear like real invisible walls.
In addition to vehicles, Enzo can also ride horses. All means of transport are customizable and have different characteristics regarding speed or grip.
Despite these few flaws, the game’s circuits are magnificent and dynamic. Chases with enemies occupy a great importance in the plot and are always a sign of significant events. These sequences provide a welcome diversity of gameplay.
A video game that wants to be a cinema film
It is clear that Mafia: The Old Country is inspired by the great organized crime films. The Hangar 13 game is intended to be very cinematic, with a carefully crafted scenario that never goes too far. The action and emotion sequences follow each other accurately through beautiful cutscenes regularly punctuating the gameplay.
The Old Country introduces numerous scenes of contemplation during which the player can put the controller down for several minutes to admire the interactions between the characters. The atmospheres are perfectly transcribed and the spectator cannot remain indifferent. Atmospheres reinforced by the magnificent soundtrack, composed by Brian Transeau.
The storyline of The Old Country is divided into fifteen chapters, often synonymous with time jumps. The final hours of the story bring an explosive climax of tension and action, in every sense of the word. Players may not forget the story of this game for quite some time.
Our conclusion to the test of Mafia: The Old Country
In summary, Mafia: The Old Country is a very good game. The Hangar 13 studio has managed to offer a new episode worthy of the name which in no way tarnishes this famous 23-year-old license. Between interesting combat phases, poignant cinematics and crazy chases in the Sicilian countryside, we didn’t see the hours pass.
If on the practical side, the confrontations and car races need improvement, The Old Country benefits from several strong points, particularly in the graphics and the storyline.
However, it is likely that the price of €49.99 will be contested by players, considering the few hours needed to conclude the plot. Mafia: The Old Country has a rather short lifespan, especially since the gameplay is tightly limited once the main scenario is completed.
However, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the title of Hangar 13, since we really liked it. Its characters, its environments and its twists and turns may leave you in the long term.
