Today, I'm sitting in front of Mafia
: The Old Country. We play as young Enzo Favara, who was sold by his parents to the Spadaros – a Sicilian mafia family. Therefore, he ekes out a living as a nameless worker in one of their sulfur mines.
Mafia made to measure
From here on, a story unfolds that is essentially quite classic " rags to riches
" but, true to the series, doesn't romanticize "La Famiglia." The big problem is that The Old Country follows the blueprint of the series' beginnings and relies on a few clichés, which is why many aspects of the twist-filled plot are disappointingly predictable .
Acting beats writing style
But because the story's characters are all charismatic and fantastically acted—including great facial animations—this ultimately doesn't matter so much.
Pork halves, stealth passages and shotgun pellets
Mafia: The Old Country starts off quite down-to-earth. Enzo must first prove himself through everyday work before eventually getting a chance to step up the career ladder. At some point, however, there will be some serious action, for example in one of the aforementioned knife fights. In these, you take down enemies in a rather rudimentary manner using three different attack types, an evasive movement, and a counterattack. Stealth sections also become a feature early on, which work well but also offer very few options.
Staging above all
As the gameplay gradually expands, Enzo gains access to a horse or even motorized horsepower. In keeping with the early 19th century, the vehicles all chug somewhat ponderously through the fictional Sicily, yet the driving is still pleasantly direct. Just as authentically, there's no GPS to guide you through the countryside to your destination; instead, you have to scout out the route on the separate map screen (or drive off on a whim).
A backdrop to melt away
I saved one of the biggest highlights for last: the game world. The Sicilian island with its fictional locations is an absolute eye-catcher . The landscape bathed in blazing sun with its lush vineyards, imposing mountain ridges, cozy coastal towns, charmingly crumbling stone facades, and breathtaking churches… my vocabulary unfortunately quickly reaches its limits to do justice to the beauty of this highly naturalistic game world. Not since
Red Dead Redemption 2 have I adored a virtual destination as much as this one. Yes, the PC version is correspondingly hardware-hungry, but looking at this, I can at least understand why.
My Conclusion
Mafia: The Old Country is a classic case of "greater than the sum of its parts." The individual game elements may not be outstanding, but taken together and framed by this beautiful "faux" open world, they still make for a fantastic game. Yes, it carries some baggage, but anyone who enjoys great characters, competent gameplay, and at times spectacular staging (with beautiful views!) simply owes themselves a trip to Sicily. Luigi man does not turn against the family !!!!!
