Mafia: The Old Country review

The game’s opening is pure cinema, with sweeping shots of the Italian landscape that set a gorgeous, movie-esque tone for the 13-or-so-hour story to come. You fill the well-worn shoes of Enzo, a chap who escapes from a mine and lands squarely in the employ of a local Don. The pacing is, let’s say, deliberate. You’ll spend the early hours running errands and getting to know the family before you’re even trusted with a shooter. This slow burn is intentional, letting you soak in the atmosphere and witness Enzo’s gradual indoctrination into the family business. It’s less of a power fantasy and more like being a fly on the wall of a Scorsese flick. There's even a love story woven in, with Enzo falling for the Don’s daughter, Isabella, creating a classic tangle of romance and rivalry between warring factions. 

Initially, Enzo has all the personality of a block of parmesan. He's a classic "yes man," doing as he's told without much ambition. It feels like a deliberate choice to let the player project themselves onto him, but it falls a bit flat compared to the tightly written protagonists of games like God of War or The Last of Us. Thankfully, Enzo comes into his own in the final chapters, where grief and tough choices finally give him some much-needed motivational kick. 

Where the game truly shines, however, is its cast. In over two decades of gaming, I've rarely encountered such a memorable crew of characters. From the brash Cesare to the villainous Il Merlo and the defiant Isabella, every character is distinct and brilliantly realised. A special mention has to go to Don Torrisi’s voice actor, who delivers a phenomenal performance with an imposing presence in every scene he graces. The game’s cutscenes are a masterclass in tension, often using silence, sharp dialogue, and clever camera angles rather than music to create gravitas, just like the mob movies of old. 

Be warned: this game is roughly 50% cutscenes, 40% gameplay, and 10% schmoozing your way from A to B. The moment-to-moment action is, frankly, a bit barebones. It’s your standard third-person cover shooter, but the enemy AI is daft as a brush, often staring at walls and posing very little challenge. Stealth is equally bland; you toss a bottle, sneak up, and it’s goodnight, wise guy. 

The gunplay itself is a mixed bag. The firearms have a satisfying kick, but most feel identical, and the hit detection is wonky at best. You’ll miss shots that are dead-on and land headshots by accident. The game does try to shake things up with knife fights, a unique addition that gives it a distinct identity away from the usual boss-battle bullet ballets. 

Thankfully, getting around is more interesting. There’s no distracting mini-map on your screen. Instead, the game uses charming red and white signposts at intersections to point you in the right direction. This is a brilliant, immersion-friendly touch. It’s a good thing, too, because the cars handle like a wet bar of soap on a cheese grater. While they’re fun to thrash around, they all feel strangely similar, with no real distinction between driving on cobblestones or dusty tracks. 

The island of Sicily is an absolute stunner. The world is rendered with immaculate detail, from the trinkets inside a building to the layout of a garden, it’s clear a phenomenal amount of care and attention has gone into building the world. It’s so convincing it’ll make you want to book a holiday. 

But here’s the rub: it’s all just window dressing. This is a strictly linear game masquerading in a semi-open world. You can try to drive off into the sunset, but there’s nothing to find, and the game will soon funnel you back to your objective. It’s a gorgeous, meticulously crafted world, but a shame you can’t properly play in it.

On the technical front, the game could still use a bit of spit and polish on PC. We tested it on an AMD RX 4060 XT (16GB), and at 1440p with Epic settings and FSR on Quality, you’re looking at a respectable 60fps. Dropping the preset to High and flicking on Frame Generation gives you a much healthier 90-100fps. A pre-release patch sorted out some initial crashing problems, which is good news. 

Mafia: The Old Country has its flaws, no doubt. The gameplay is weak, the story is a tad predictable, and the beautiful world is frustratingly superficial. And yet, I still strongly recommend it. Why? Because it tells a type of story that feels rare these days, focusing on character and atmosphere over constant explosions. The cast is one of the most memorable in recent history, and seeing Enzo’s character arc pay off is deeply satisfying. It might not be a Godfather-level masterpiece, but it’s a captivating story that will stick with you long after the credits roll.