Mafia: The Old Country is a 2025 crime drama action game developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games. The fourth installment in the Mafia series, which dates all the way back to 2002. And the first new entry in the franchise since 2016’s Mafia III.
Mafia III‘s reviews weren’t all that positive, and seemed to have killed the series. But remade “Definitive Editions” of the first two Mafia games brought new eyes to the series, and built interest in a fourth game. Which would eventually materialize as Mafia: The Old Country. A series prequel set in Sicily in the year 1904.
Enzo Favara
Mafia: The Old Country is a great return to form for the series. Focusing on a strong, character-driven narrative and abandoning the repetitive gameplay elements that bogged down Mafia III. The remaining gameplay isn’t anything to write home about. But nothing about the game is truly bad.
Mafia: The Old Country is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam for $49.99. With a Deluxe Edition available for $59.99.
This review contains minor spoilers for Mafia: The Old Country.
Story – That’s Amore
Mafia: The Old Country follows Enzo Favara. A “carusu” (mine-boy) sold into sulfur mining at age five by his father. He escapes the mine after the negligent actions of the overseer, Il Merlo, result in the death of his best friend, Gaetano. Shortly after, he’s placed under the protection of Don Bernardo Torrisi. And in return, begins working at Torrisi’s vineyard. Where he meets and immediately falls for his daughter, Isabella.
Enzo meets Isabella for the first time
What follows is a thrilling crime drama as Enzo works closely and navigates his relationships with the different members of the Torrisi crime family. Slowly rising up the ranks alongside his new friend, and the Don’s nephew, Cesare Massaro. All while trying to keep his budding romance with Isabella a secret from the Don and everyone close to him.
The Mafia series is at its best when it’s story-focused, and The Old Country is no exception. The story is easily the game’s strongest element. However, it’s not perfect. It falls into a lot of the tropes of organized crime dramas. And a lot of story beats echo the first Mafia a bit too closely. That being said, Enzo’s journey is the beating heart of The Old Country that will keep you hooked to the end.
Gameplay – It’s Just Business
If you’ve played any open-world third person shooter in the last ten years, you’ve played Mafia: The Old Country. The core gameplay is very standard and doesn’t break the mold in any way. That being said, it’s very solid. And the story is full of fun set pieces that add to the gameplay. Also, outside of a few exceptions, the game accepts a stealthy approach as much as an all-out assault.
I see you brought a knife to a knife fight
The big addition to The Old Country is knife fights. And they aren’t fun enough to justify how often they’re used. In fact, I think all but one of the major one-on-one fights in The Old Country are knife fights. Unfortunately, they’re just a bit too straightforward. And don’t evolve enough as the game goes on to stay interesting. They’re all just dodging or counter-attacking until you win. And they get especially repetitive on harder difficulties.
Mafia series staples are present in The Old Country as well. Purposefully tricky vehicle controls to simulate early design flaws. Period piece outfit customization. And a detailed open world to explore and hunt collectibles in. The Old Country‘s open world isn’t that large compared to other games. However, bigger does not equal better. And you’ll have a great time exploring early 20th century Sicily.
Graphics & Sound – Lost Art
Mafia: The Old Country may not be the most realistic or graphically groundbreaking game ever. But it doesn’t need to be. And even then, everything in the game is very highly detailed. Especially the character models. Everyone looks amazing. And the actors, mocap team, and animators were able to get so many emotions out of their expressions and movements.
Enzo’s initiation
Every voice actor crushed their role. Especially the main cast. The thick accents and constant use of Sicilian slang may be distracting or amusing at first, but you’re so quickly sucked in by their performances that it almost immediately stops sounding strange. The standout performances to me were Enzo, Don Torrisi, and Cesare.
The world of 1900’s Sicily is gorgeous as well. Perfectly capturing that “old world” feeling. The beautiful, serene countrysides contrasting perfectly with the dark, violent nature of the story. Who cares that there’s no swimming mechanic or realistic carbonation physics? Everything the game needs, it nails. Or at least comes close to it.
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- Don Bernardo Torrisi
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- Don Galante and his son, Leo
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- Luca, Cesare, and Enzo discuss business
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- Isabella Torrisi
Mafia: The Old Country was played and reviewed on the PS5.
