Mafia: The Old Country Review — A Deal You Can’t Refuse?

Mafia: The Old Country is an excellent, slick, dramatic, action-packed, and well-orchestrated affair that all should play; and while some of the gameplay decisions might seem unorthodox, everything is done to put the story right in the limelight.

The Old Country differs from another of Hangar 13’s Mafia entry, Mafia 3 (easily one of the most underrated games of last generation — seriously, play it). Instead of the traditional open-world set-up, full of side-quests and things to do, it’s a far more focused and ‘directed’ experience, not unlike Hangar 13’s Mafia remake. It’s still an open-world in the sense that you can explore different locations around the map, but going from one key story target to the next is the intent here. There aren’t factions, hideouts, and things to topple interspersed with main missions. It’s a direct, narrative and somewhat linear experience in a sandbox.

While this might make some feel like it’s not the 100-hour open-world game they were hoping for, it bodes well for the pillars of the franchise: a compelling crime story and fun gameplay. Much like Uncharted mixed with Assassin’s Creed, this makes The Old Country feel like a really immersive linear experience, while merging it with that feeling of a bigger, open-world game. And that character-driven and captivating element to linear games is something that many, many open-world games miss out on.

That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to do, as there is a lot of gameplay variety, but the benefit is that everything is done with a point to the story. Horse-racing, driving, gunfights, knifefights — everything is to push the story along and hit an emotional beat within this mafiosa saga.

All of these gameplay mechanics are solid too — with horse riding, actually being fun, gun combat feeling punchy and dangerous, and knife-combat (which is actually emphasised quite a bit) having its own parry, dodge, and attack system.

Where every Mafia game has shone in its story delivery, and once again, Hangar 13 knocks it out of the park with the facial animations and voice-acting — they’re truly sublime. Every interaction, line delivery, and subtle smirk are done with meticulous detail, making every cut-scene feel like a classic Hollywood moment.

This attention to detail applies to the general gameplay visuals. Bullets kick up dust, characters dive and duck in gunfights, and horses flick their manes in glorious accuracy, and every NPC has a personality and a bit of Italian sass. The beauty of the presentation is simply hard to ignore. Again, this level of fidelity is the result of having a more focused experience as opposed to an overly large open-world.

So, Mafia: The Old Country might not be the expansive task-packed open-world game that fans of yesteryear are familiar with. It’s a tighter, excellently polished, and cinematic experience that puts the delivery of the narrative front and centre. It’s a standout entry that gives the Mafia franchise another unique selling point as opposed to being another open-world crime game amongst the other releases. A must-play for longtime fans.

Mafia: The Old Country is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.