Mafia: The Old Country Review – A Gangster Epic That Respects Your Time

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For over two decades now, the Mafia series has been a constant presence, drawing both glowing accolades and more moderate responses from critics throughout its entirety. However, it’s indisputable that the series’ quality seems to have declined since its initial release in 2002; Mafia III, for instance, garnered mixed reviews from critics. Yet, despite this dip in quality, many core entries within the franchise are now widely regarded as classics by the gaming community.

By 2020, despite the statements made earlier, the game had sold a reported 7 million copies. In the same year, Hangar 13 launched Mafia: Definitive Edition, which received positive critical reviews and moderate commercial success, strengthening 2K’s faith in the franchise’s enduring popularity. Now, in 2025, we have Mafia: The Old Country. However, the question lingers: does it take the series to new heights or merely keep it afloat?

Let’s address an obvious point upfront: the narrative in Mafia games is a major draw. While some might argue that Mafia III, not the strongest game in the series, was still commended for its storyline, and justifiably so. It dealt with mature themes and real-world issues in a compelling way.

It’s a pleasure to share that Mafia: The Old Country maintains its impressive storytelling tradition, with tales that are mostly exceptional. Characters immerse themselves in the game as players assume the role of likable protagonist Enzo Favara, who leads a challenging existence until he’s welcomed by Don Bernardo Torrisi. Enzo starts off performing tasks for the Don, gradually climbing the ranks. The portrayal of both Enzo and Don Torrisi is commendable, with their roles further enhanced by top-notch voice acting. The actor lending his voice to Don Torrisi delivers a powerful, impactful performance in every line he speaks.

In this portrayal, you’ll clearly see the ideas of deception and the powerful influence of personal pride and ambition on a person’s thoughts and feelings.

Enzo is joined by a remarkable ensemble of characters who play significant roles in his missions. Not only are these characters skillfully crafted, but their actors bring them to life superbly. Though I won’t reveal the storyline, I can say that the writing and acting were so engaging that they made me invest emotionally in the characters and their eventual fates.

In Mafia: The Old Country, the issues of betrayal and how personal ambition and ego can dominate the human mind and emotions are prominently explored. The game frequently challenges this notion through its compelling dialogues or subtle visual cues like facial expressions and animations. This theme serves as a significant foundation for the storyline, compelling me to follow each character’s journey until their stories reached their end.

You might have observed that I stated that the majority of the story is exceptional. This is because the game does a fantastic job at establishing intricate relationships and high stakes. However, the move towards the final resolution seems to happen rather quickly and could use some more time. It’s almost as if an essential part of the storytelling is missing towards the end, which makes the climax feel a bit abrupt. Let me clarify that Mafia: The Old Country still offers a fantastic narrative; however, with a smoother transition into the finale, it could have significantly enhanced the overall experience. Regardless, this story remains one of the best in the Mafia series, and fans of the franchise are sure to enjoy it.

Let’s dive into the gameplay aspects of “Mafia: The Old Country”. To be clear, many elements from the more recent “Mafia” series still hold true in this game. Stealth is a crucial aspect, with numerous stages crafted for it and several missions demanding that you don’t get caught. It wouldn’t be fair to say Enzo’s stealth is like “Metal Gear Solid”, as he’s not a soldier, but the fundamental aspects of it are, in simple terms, entertainingly simple.

As a gamer, I find it thrilling to creep up on unsuspecting foes, then strike without warning. Or, I can opt for a more tactical approach, hiding and biding my time until the opportune moment arrives to slip past unnoticed. Tossing objects can even distract guards, but honestly, the stealth mechanics are straightforward – just what I needed. It gets the job done, and that’s all that truly matters in the end of the day.

Additionally, you can acquire various types of knives, each providing distinct advantages like enhanced melee damage or healing Enzo following an elimination.

Engaging in gunfights continues to be primarily tactical: You find shelter, prepare your shot, and neutralize adversaries. Yet, the range of weapons available is extensive – from shotguns, rifles, and handguns, there’s a diverse arsenal to discover and utilize. Interestingly, I’ve observed that the AI has significantly improved in this version; enemies now exhibit strategic behavior, collaborating more efficiently and making greater efforts to either expose or defeat you.

Introducing an exciting change to the action are the one-on-one sword fights, which provide a refreshing break from the usual gunfights. Fortunately, these aren’t excessively frequent, often appearing as key narrative elements rather than recurring events. They primarily revolve around dodging, parrying, and timing your attacks precisely against your opponent.

In addition to a variety of knives with special benefits like enhanced melee damage or healing Enzo following a takedown, you’ll find an agile skill system that enables Enzo to enhance attributes such as reload speed, ammunition detection, and more. The combat system in The Old Country, though retaining its basic essence, appears significantly polished and improved compared to past installments in the series.

Additionally, not only can you acquire stylish vehicles from that time period, but you might even find yourself mounting a horse for a ride. However, contrary to what it may seem, these elements are not integral to the game’s core mechanics. Rather, they serve as incentives for players to delve deeper into the world. To clarify, while the environment has been meticulously designed and offers visual delight, this is not an open-world game. There is a mode that allows for exploration and item collection, but its primary purpose is merely to complement the main narrative progression.

While I’m not implying it negatively, I find the compact and focused design of “The Old Country” quite commendable. The game itself restricts exploration during the storyline by incorporating a skip ride option, which I believe was a wiser choice compared to the open-world style of “Mafia III“. However, I do feel that some brief excursions could have enriched the world further, such as side stories or character interactions connected to the remarkable supporting characters. There are indeed several intriguing figures in this game, and incorporating a few more story-driven diversions might have added even more complexity to their portrayals.

In “Mafia: The Old Country,” you’ll find a wealth of stunning action-packed scenes reminiscent of popular adventure games. Expect heart-pounding car and horseback chases, pulse-racing races, and some spectacular over-the-top scenes. The vehicle handling feels reasonably realistic, and it offers both simulation-style driving and manual gear shifting for added authenticity. A typical playthrough of “Mafia: The Old Country” could take anywhere between 10 to 15 hours, but this can change based on the difficulty level you select.

The Old Country” continues the trend of providing high-quality, solo gaming experiences at an affordable cost. It offers a concise but impactful journey that stays with you.

The game “The Old Country” operates using Unreal Engine 5, which can raise some issues regarding performance. I tested it on a computer with a 3080 Ti GPU, a Ryzen 9 5950X processor, and an SSD for storage. I played the game in 4K resolution while utilizing DLSS in Balanced mode, and fortunately, there’s a good selection of graphic settings available, so it’s not a poorly optimized port for PCs. Occasionally, I encountered some slowdowns, but generally, it maintained over 30 frames per second with most settings at Epic and a few at High. In summary, the performance was satisfactory, although your experience may differ based on your specific hardware.

The game titled “Mafia: The Old Country” boasts an impressive visual appeal that outshines many other worlds. Its character models are striking, the background music is strong, and it maintains the cinematic standard that the series is famous for. When you add to this a talented cast and superior voice acting, what results is a game that performs exceptionally well in terms of its visual landscapes.

The game Mafia: The Old Country gets many things correct, however it falls short when it comes to replay value. After completing the game, you can continue to traverse the world, replay certain chapters, or purchase additional vehicles like cars and horses, but there’s no New Game Plus feature or substantial post-game content. Given its price point, this is a fair offering; however, players seeking more depth or extended playtime might find themselves somewhat underwhelmed.

The Old Country” continues the trend of delivering high-quality, single-player experiences at an affordable price point. It provides a concise yet impactful narrative journey that caters to those who appreciate games with strong storytelling and efficient design that values your time. If you’re into such games,

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-08-07 16:34