The Mafia video games have all the time caught to the easy rule that larger is best. The 2002 unique was a gritty action-adventure sport set within the slick open-world city of Misplaced Heaven earlier than each the 2010 sequel and 2016’s Mafia 3 gave gamers much more freedom to discover the Italian-American prison underworld. Nonetheless, tense tales of honour, betrayal and revenge don’t hit fairly as onerous whenever you’re continually doing favours for forgettable henchmen or getting caught up in racing facet missions. Builders Hangar 13 have reduce away all that useless weight in new entry Mafia: The Outdated Nation, making a refreshingly concise drama that by no means outstays its welcome.
Earlier video games have been set in dirty American cities, however this prequel takes the motion to the attractive, fictional Sicilian city of San Celeste within the early 1900s. Nestled amid the plush rolling hills is a sulphur mine owned by the highly effective Spadaros – and it’s right here that we meet our scrappy hero, Enzo. He’s attempting to earn sufficient cash to pay his money owed to the household however after a bloody conflict with bully foreman Il Merlo, he flees on the again of a stolen horse. Fortunately, he’s taken in by charismatic Don Torrisi and begins engaged on his winery.
The primary few hours of Mafia: The Outdated Nation play out like a slow-burning status TV present. Quickly it emerges that Don Torrisi has a facet hustle because the native mafioso boss and we comply with Enzo’s gradual descent into the world of organised crime. One second he’s cleansing out the stables and delivering instances of wine, the subsequent he’s breaking apart a staff strike and shaking down native farmers for defense cash.
Whereas enjoying as Enzo, you by no means really feel just like the dangerous man although. Heat mentor Luca and Don Torrisi’s cocksure nephew Cesere deliver you into their close-knit gang and people loyalties are rapidly cemented throughout beautiful horseback rides throughout the picturesque countryside. The Outdated Nation actually is beautiful however the resolution to make it a linear expertise somewhat than open-world means you may’t truly go off and discover it for your self.
As the sport progresses, the violence will increase. Nearly all of The Outdated Nation’s 14 chapters contain a mix of stealth-based skullduggery and thrilling shoot-outs, with the occasional knife-fight thrown in for good measure. The weapons are as gradual and clunky as you’d anticipate from a sport set in 1905 and the enemies you face have a frustratingly unpredictable ability stage. Typically, a bandit’s seemingly-superhuman listening to will shut down your sneak assault, and at others the identical slackjawed henchmen will allow you to stroll proper previous.
The sport’s builders have tried to make the world of The Outdated Nation as wealthy as attainable, with letters, newspaper clippings and even an genuine recipe for pork spezzatino to be discovered all through the assorted ranges. Concentrate, and also you’ll even decide up some real Italian swear phrases. Detours are strictly off limits although. Locked doorways cease you from nosing about Don Torrisi’s beautiful winery – and attempting to backtrack on a mission will trigger you to fail the entire thing. You haven’t any company in Enzo’s selections both. There are zero branching narratives or a number of selection conversations that can assist you information the loyal outsider away from a lifetime of brutality and betrayal.
As restrictive and repetitive as The Outdated Nation’s gameplay can typically appear, the sensible excessive stakes story is greater than thrilling sufficient to maintain you hooked. Enzo will get caught up in a forbidden love affair with Don Torrisi’s flirtatious, feisty daughter Isabella and it’s not lengthy earlier than cracks begin to seem inside the seemingly completely satisfied mafia household. The Outdated Nation ought to take between 12 and 15 hours to finish and also you’ll be invested for the period. There may not be a lot purpose to return and replay this intentionally direct sport however priced accordingly at £44.99, it’s an give you most likely shouldn’t refuse.
‘Mafia: The Outdated Nation’ is out now for PlayStation, PC and Xbox
VERDICT
Sitting someplace between the gritty world of Crimson Lifeless Redemption 2 and the grounded journey of Indiana Jones And The Nice Circle, Mafia: The Outdated Nation is a targeted crime drama that performs out like a slick HBO miniseries. Stealth and fight do begin to get repetitive as you delve deeper into the Italian underworld however a twisting story and a really beautiful setting will preserve you coming again for extra.
PROS
- Enzo’s descent into organised crime is gripping and plausible
- Compelling improve ability tree
- The Sicilian island setting of San Celeste is totally beautiful
- Not a second of the 15-hour single-player story is wasted
CONS
- The ability stage of enemies is wildly unpredictable
- Weapons and vehicles from the 1900s are genuine, however awkward to make use of
- There’s no freedom to discover past the linear missions
