Mafia: The Old Country is old-fashioned to a fault

Mafia: The Old Country is best game never released in 2007.

It sounds like a back-handed compliment, which, to be fair, wouldn't be far off the mark. There's a lot to love about Hangar 13's painfully old-fashioned action adventure, but make no mistake: there's a lot to dislike, as well.

Mafia: The Old Country is an often chaotic mess of ideas and gameplay elements, each of which were dated well over a decade ago. Yet it's also a wonderfully directed and acted linear action game that, at just a little over ten hours, feels like a refreshing throwback in this era of bloat.

Story & gameplay

Enzo is an orphan working in a sulfur mine in Italy at the turn of the century. He and his friend dream of leaving so they can one day travel to Empire Bay in America, where a new life awaits them. That dream is cut tragically short when a cave-in kills Enzo's friend, and leaves our hero on the run after he attacks his captors in anger.

After a desperate chase, Enzo finds his way into the graces of Don Torrisi, one of the notable crime bosses controlling the beautiful town of San Celeste. Believing to have found himself a family, Enzo sets to prove himself for Torrisi and his right-hand man, Luca, who becomes Enzo's mentor.

In time, Enzo falls for Torrisi's daughter, Isabella, and soon must choose between loyalty to the family – which one day will grow into the Sicilian Mafia – or to his heart, and leave everything he worked towards for an uncertain future elsewhere.

If you've seen any mafia movie in the past, or played any title in the Mafia franchise to date, this will all feel very, very familar. At no point during my ten hours with the game did my eyebrows even flutter with surprise. Instead, there's a steady sense of entertainment as the traditional story moves from one expertly executed set piece to another. Like clockwork, it does exactly what you'd expect and nothing more. But also nothing less.

Tradition is the name of the game here, right down to every single mechanic for better and for worse. The Old Country is a narrative action game with superficial elements of open world gameplay, light roleplaying tropes, and plenty of third-person gunplay.

When the game focuses on the superb cut scenes and action-packed thrills, it's a fun throwback that feels easy to recommend. When it spreads itself thin to try out just about every dated idea from the last two decades, it becomes a chore.

For example, there's an open world element to things, but you mostly get to roam in a separate exploration mode from the menu. This feels separate from the main experience, as the story takes a pause and the characters disappear entirely, leaving the world itself static and quite empty.

Which, in turn, makes every transition between locations a chore. Usually, you get a bunch of flavor dialog and a view of the gorgeous scenery, but it slows down the pacing to a crawl. The game seems to know this, too, as it offers a chance to skip almost every single trek between places – even the ones where it's just the player going at it alone.

Some missions feel like they're composed of two separate ideas entirely. Early on, you're supposed to infiltrate a mansion of a traitor, so that you can bring them out for their punishment. An achievement for silent operations indicates the game encourages exploration, yet the path is strictly linear and the moment you find your quarry the game forces you into a prolonged bit of shooting nonetheless.

If Mafia: The Old Country skipped the open world scenarios entirely and just offered strict levels without any fat, it would be a far leaner and better experience. Now, it feels flabby because it tries to catch up with other games from the late 2000s. Even the gunplay and knife fights, which form the backbone of the action, are more acceptable than outstanding.

And yet, when it does focus on the linear experience, it showcases why this series is so beloved by fans in the first place. Some moments, like stolen glances between tragic lovers, are easily among the best in any game this year. There's a spectacular set piece that spans the entire third act which blends together history, Roland Emmerich -style epics, and gameplay in a way that should remind everyone of how thrilling a carefully curated linear experience can be.

Then, just as you think you're bored of any open world elements, The Old Country throws in some of the most moody and evocative depictions of Italy ever to grace gaming. Whether it's driving down to a local tavern with drunk friends or racing horses with a lover to ancient ruins, The Old Country captures nostalgic romanticism in a way that stirs the soul.

It's not perfect, nor is it new or innovative, but Mafia: The Old Country succeeds in the most important parts for a game of its genre. That counts for more than you'd think.

In the mid-2000s, Mafia: The Old Country would be a solid contender for one of the best games of the year. Today, it is a throwback to simpler times. If we could get more games like it – and at the cheaper price point and shorter development time – I think we'd be a in a better place for gaming altogether.

Technical aspects

Mafia: The Old Country runs at a respectable, and mostly steady, 60 frames per second on the base PlayStation 5 in performance mode. There is a quality mode, which emphasizes resolution but keeps performance at 3ofps, which I didn't touch, because games today should not come under 60fps in any circumstances.

Regardless, the performance mode is just fine, with only the rare case of texture pop-in and slow load times in transitions. For the latest instalment of the Mafia franchise, Hangar 13 chose to throw their weight in with the Unreal 5 engine, which is finicky and unpredictable at best. The fact that things works this well for the vast majority of the time is downright miraculous.

Luckily, this is a beautiful title thanks to some stellar character animations and spectacular art design. Everything in 1900s Italy looks and sounds beautiful. I particularly love how many nods to both classic American and Italian cinema there are, and how the game captures the nostalgic romanticism of this time period. It's never realistic, but that's not the intention. This is a world that never existed, but rather was dreamed up by those who left it behind for another life in America.

Accessibility

There are accessibility options, but they're a meager helping. The most notable are font sizes and the ability to skip button mashing prompts in fights. Both are welcome, but I do wish there was more to help out us with cognitive disabilities. Especially as aiming is already finicky as it is. You get two options with aim assist, but I found both to be stop gaps at best.

Verdict

There's a lot you could gripe about in The Old Country, and they'd all be valid complaints. The story is predictable, the characters are archetypes, and the gameplay is a major step back in an already dated franchise. This is not, in any way, shape or form, a modern or progressive title.

But it is gorgeously told and it knows precisely what it is. It doesn't pretend otherwise, and there's a lot to love about that honesty. Yes, I knew where the story would go within an hour of playing, and no, I didn't care. I love these characters, and I love how well Hangar 13 tells its familiar tale. There are moments in the cut-scenes that are so well crafted they easily rival more expensive rivals. When the game slows down to enjoy the meticulously crafted locations and wonderful score, it evokes a time when games were allowed to experiment, make mistakes, and just be mid-budget titles without grander expectations.

Watch, for example, how the game takes time to highlight hidden smiles at the corners of the characters mouths when they look at someone with pride. Check out the little details how background actors move and follow situations. These are things most wouldn't bother animating, because they eat into the budget and aren't necessary for most stories. Yet The Old Country lets these moments breathe, and they make all the difference.

That's why the semi-open world, flat and empty as it is, can be a joy to explore. It's full of soul, and it sings a song we've heard many, many times before, but that doesn't make it any less of a beautiful tune.

Maybe I'm just sentimental, but that's not a crime, is it?