Before we get into this review, there are a few things you need to know about me. I’m an Australian with an Italian heritage and my favorite movie is The Godfather. My grandparents are actually from Sicily and can even speak the Sicilian dialect themselves. And to close it all, I’ll be on vacation in Europe before this review is published and heading to Sicily in just a few weeks.
So it’s safe to say that Mafia: Old Country was on my radar as one of my most anticipated games of 2025. I have been a fan of the Mafia series since the original game in 2002. Thanks to the family’s PC, it is considered too young to understand the context of that world.
Mafia: The old country certainly has its flaws, but it offers a stunning prequel with a engaging and emotional story, gorgeous visuals and solid gameplay. I’ll admit that it’s very linear and really shows you that it really shows that card when it’s good and ready. That being said, it’s a great, amazing, action-packed runaway that goes through the countryside of Sicilin and feels inspired by other games in the series, without being tied up by them.
Welcome to family
Mafia: The old country is set in Sicily in 1904, but it does not tie into other mafia games except for the previous period setting. There are some mentions of Empire Bay, some setting for Mafia II, but that’s about it. The player stepped into the shoes of Enzofabara, a young sulfur miner, and was sold to trade at a very young age.
After a serious incident at the mine, Enzo finds himself running around and unconsciously hides the property of the Trisi crime family. The family takes his preferences for Enzo, takes him into their real estate, and does ordinary work every day.
But with an increasingly questionable set of favors, Enzo is quickly drawn into the dubious deal of the Path, highlighting his positive traits like loyalty and strength, at the expense of the conundrums he faces seriously and morally. Throw Don’s daughter Isabella into the mix as a potential love interest. It feels like trouble and danger awaits every corner.
Credit: 2K Games
The story focuses primarily on Enzo’s descent into organized crime, but uses the background and sets it up very well. For example, this game takes time to actually showcase hidden things in the Torishi family, and you start working in real estate. These scenes sound far from rivets, but they do an amazing job of embodying many of the backstory, roles and overall intentions while introducing each of the main players in the family.
After just a few hours in this world, you will feel like you have known this family for a while. This is also a credit to the overall audio performance.
This story is a closely woven blend of cinematic gameplay and cutscenes that worked well, and for the most part it works. I’m not going to lie. Most of these themes and storylines are probably covered in other forms of media, but I think it’s relatively well-balanced here.
The linearity of experience limits some of the freedom of gameplay, but ultimately benefits the story and its characters when it comes to direction and pacing.
The old way
Mafia: Old Countries play things relatively easily when it comes to gameplay. The aforementioned linearity of the game means that most gameplay mechanisms are structured according to the story.
When it’s time to shoot, I’ll take a picture. When it’s time to sneak up, don’t get caught. When it’s time to ride a horse, ride it at a specific destination. None of these mechanisms are broken and frustrating, but they all work incredibly well.
Gunplay will knock them down and knock them with Lupara Shotgun or a hefty six-shooter. It is well-known to remove the cover, and you can also turn around the cover to switch. It usually holds both pistols, such as rifles and shotguns, and can be switched at any time.
Credit: 2K Games
Enzo also has access to a range of knives that can be unlocked and purchased throughout the story. These knives generally wear and tear with each use, so Enzo must not only maintain when they use them, but also on his supply of ring rocks, which can be used to sharpen the knives and restore durability. Each knife also has certain properties, which, along with a certain level of durability, can also be given a buff that can slightly restore Enzo’s health with each knife’s kill, or hold an additional throwing knife.
Knife battles are also a big part of the story. This is because Enzo faces off against multiple enemies throughout the story. These fights are very cinematic, allowing the camera to be drawn close by, allowing players to thrust into the enemy’s defenses in a massive way, thrust, parry, avoid, or even destroy them. These fights are generally easy, but carry real weight and danger with them.
There is also a perk system known as charms laid out across the rosary necklace. It’s a bit on the nose, but the system essentially gives away up to five slots that are unlocked and purchased throughout the game, and assigns certain perks, such as increasing the chances of automatically evading certain bullets and knife sharpening skills. It’s not the deepest system, but the game’s currency, Dinari, can be found anywhere, so most perks are obtained with minimal exploration, but still a great touch.
You really don’t get behind the wheels of a car so driving sometimes takes the back seat. The specific chase and race sequences are again incredibly cinematic, and the cars are generally handled well. Like previous Mafia games, players will also have the opportunity to browse Karcyclopedia in the main menu and dive into Free Roam mode after completing the game.
Credit: 2K Games
Finally, there is a specific stealth section. This allows players to suffocate enemies and use knives at the expense of durability. These sections are pretty much fine, but I didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t get caught at any point. Doing so will restart the section and truly remove the freedom that turns encounters into gunfights.
Please look at the parts
Visually, the Mafia: the Old Country is gorgeous. Even with my old RTX 3070 I was able to get a stable 60 fps on medium to high settings. The Sicilian countryside glows under the sun’s heat, but the draw distance is also very impressive, adding a sense of range to the scenery.
Unreal Engine 5 makes all the difference in terms of more detailed character models and lighting effects, and there’s little to complain here. There are certain instances of covers passing through walls here and there and cutting through horses, but that’s not dramatic enough to undermine the overall experience.
But what’s where the Mafia: Old Country truly shines is its authenticity. The original score is great, like something from the Godfather, sometimes affectionate and elevated, and nervous and forgotten by others.
Credit: 2K Games
This game is also available in Sisia Linduving. It’s as authentic as you can get, but I wish this had some dedicated lip sync. Still, there are a few examples where subtitles aren’t translated correctly, but are shortened to score points instead.
I hate to admit it, but much of the appeal of the Sicilian dialect comes from not only slang, but also the amount of cursed words thrown into ordinary sentences. As a dialect speaker, it would have been nice to help the language shine through something a little better for English players.
That being said, the English voice acting is also excellent, with a fair amount of Sicilian words thrown there.
Final Thoughts
Mafia: The Old Country is a wonderful, authentic, lovingly crafted trip to the Sicily underground world. It is visually stunning, mechanically stable, and sometimes completely enthralling.
However, it is worth considering the experience in advance to help you better judge your expectations. First, the Mafia: the old nation is really linear in its approach. Most sequences just do one thing at a time without any room for exploration or side activity.
We hope that the stealth section will allow players to turn the situation into a firefight. I wish I could explore more, ride cars and horse horses, and whip the countryside frequently. I hope that the side missions and goals are more present and consistent.
Still, it all serves more dedicated stories. And so I feel I can forgive most of that flaw. And with that approach, the Mafia: Old Countries create their own strengths and draw you into this delicately created world.
In a streamlined story, sometimes a double-edged sword, but it feels like a success on every turn given. It’s certainly a wet trip of sun (and blood) worth taking.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Amazing story and voice performance. Gorgeous visuals; Sicilian Dubbing feels good for authenticity
Lowlight: Very linear in terms of mechanism and exploration
Developer: Hangar 13
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: August 8th
Reviews conducted on PC via Steam using pre-release code provided by the publisher.
Highly popular images provided by the publisher.
