Review – Mafia: The Old Country

The Mafia series has always captivated me with its stories about organized crime. It is curious to understand the motivations of their characters and have the perspective on both sides of the coin. In addition, the connections between games and historical contexts are a separate charm. It promises to rescue many of these sensations, and that’s precisely what made me eager to travel to Sicily.

The franchise’s fourth title has come bringing absurd beauty. Sicily’s look in the 1900s is charming and different from what we are used to seeing in the series, leaving the gray cities for a more countryside environment. Mafia: The Old Country also goes against the tide of open -world games, bringing linearity and great narrative focus. This decision draws attention at a time when games often offer gigantic maps full of activities. Still, make no mistake: the game is very rich in content.

TESTING YOUR VALUE

In this game, we met the origins of the mafia that would later expand until Empire Bay. Through the story of Enzo Favara, an anti-hero who grew up paying a debt that was not his own, so we connected with the other franchise titles. That alone is already excited, but there are surprises that make the experience even richer, and it will be even better if you have played the previous ones, although this is not mandatory.

It all starts to change when Enzo becomes hardworking in the lands of the famous criminal Don Torrisi. Although feared, he is a respected leader and grants Enzo the least dignity to live – not just survive. Let’s face it, this is a huge reason to demonstrate gratitude and willing to serve this family.

Gratitude, however, is soon converted into trials of value and confidence. Enzo, although strong, has a lot to learn, especially since the whole structure of this family is already well defined. Therefore, the beginning is closely monitored, with characters guiding what and how to do. In practice, it is almost like an abstract tutorial.

Surrounded by the gang, we soon meet many family faces. Leo Galante (here young and even more gallant), Giuseppe Palminteri, Frank Vinci and Sam Farani also give the guys. For fans, it is impossible not to feel nostalgia, while these characters strengthen the ties that tie the whole franchise.

A knife full of properties

As we advanced, Mafia: The Old Country dedicates moments to teaching essential commands: stealth, combat, horses and even car direction. But perhaps the most interesting are the knives, which go beyond battle use. They can break down locks and make stealth eliminations; Some can be thrown, while others work best in melee combat.

Each knife has different attributes, and you will need to say periodically to break locks. It is possible to buy strokes or find them along the way. This mechanics is very interesting and favors those who like to play in a stealthy way.

Interestingly, Enzo does not fight with his fists. Any melee combat will be with knives or firearms. And speaking of them, the options are diverse: you can buy your own enemies. Despite the variety, I realized that in general it is easy to find weapons in the average difficulty, which diminishes the need to buy them.

Mafia’s family: The Old Country requires time

Valle Dorata is a beautiful region of Sicily, those who want to explore without haste. The fields, the vineyards, the houses… everything fills your eyes. But in Enzo’s skin, the moments of contemplation are rare. Even when the game asks to wait for a certain time to act, the screen quickly darkens and takes it straight to the next mission.

This is because Mafia’s campaign: The Old Country is totally focused on history – and she’s quite cinematic. Honestly, I don’t see it as a problem as long as the narrative is good and well told, something the series always hits. There is even an option to hide almost the entire interface of the screen, expanding the immersion (and beauty) of the scenes. I confess that I played like this until the end, and it was charming.

Despite the linearity, Sicily holds several collectible. Instead of the classic magazines Playboy (laughs), we find altars with saints and trinácria symbols that have a huge historical context. It is worth remembering: it was the Greeks who, when sailing around Sicily, noticed their triangular form and called it trinácria, representing it with three legs and the head of the Medusa.

There are also photo collections that can be taken at specific points with a camera of the time. It’s so fun that I hope that in future updates we can use it at any time.

Newspapers, notes and documents complete this collection, bringing not only historical context, but also easter eggs and connections with franchise characters, such as Ennio Salieri and Frank Colletti,.

These items can still unlock different dialogues as Enzo shares the information discovered with NPCs. This gives weight to the collectibles, reveals some secrets and makes conversations more interesting.

In addition, the game offers 50 mysterious foxes and St. Celestino, patron that gives divine protections. These blessings can be equipped on the rosary, which is customizable with crucifixes and stones that improve attributes such as life, resistance, stealth or strength.

The collection, however, has a strange detail: some items can only be purchased on specific missions. The map even shows where to look for them, but limitation can frustrate those who like to explore freely.

Interestingly, inside the “vehicle” (an option in the initial menu) there is an exploration mode. When choosing a car to test, you are free to run for Sicily. Everything that collects or spending in this mode will be reflected in the campaign. It’s a curious way to release exploration, but it works.

In the main campaign, linearity also limits some experiences. There are, for example, horsepower and even cars, both very fun, but only once every day. A pity. I hope new updates will bring more moments like this.

The charm of the Sicilian language

I cannot fail to highlight the artistic whim. At one point, we heard “Libiamo Ne ‘Lieti Calici” by Giuseppe Verdi’s opera’ La Traviata ‘. The drunk characters end up parodying the song and was very funny. Sicilian voice acting makes the scene fantastic and once again, highlights the affection placed in the game.

Another passionate point is the attention to the language. Words like Piacere and Schiuso receive different pronunciation, with the most squeaking “C”, becoming “Piaxêre” and “Xquiuzo”. There are also typical contractions, such as “u capixe” instead of “Tu capice”.

Even though I was a beginner in Italian, I noticed (with the help of my boyfriend) as the Sicilian accent was respected in the voice acting. It is careful linguistic research that reinforces cultural and historical immersion.

Subtitles, in turn, maintain some terms in Italian, helping to preserve the original identity. I strongly recommend playing like this until the end.

The visual whim extends to small details: see a gang plotting on the horizon, Enzo pulling the sleeve of the blouse to apply bandages that remain in the body, or dialogues activated when aiming at enemies. Everything shows hangar 13 care to depth the game.

In the end, I’m glad Mafia: The Old Country opted for linearity. The campaign is amazing, told in a beautiful scenario, and all the details reinforce the quality by which the franchise is known.

You can’t judge it because it is not an open world full of secondary missions. What he delivers is already a lot and it makes me recommend it without a doubt.