In 2002, Illusion Softworks were able to craft a digitized love letter to video gamers who just so happened to be enamored with the organized crime world known as the “Mafia” by producing a game simply titled “Mafia”. Thanks to innovative gameplay and a story unmatched at the time, “Mafia” was a smash hit across PC and consoles that created a grand fan base waiting for the potential next installment. It would take eight years before “Mafia II” was released, but the wait was well worth it as everything, from the gameplay, to the story, to the mission structure was greatly improved upon. Though not as revolutionary or successful as its predecessor, “Mafia II” still produced enough success critically and financially to warrant a successor as well.
The original creators didn’t have the opportunity to follow up on the their creations as “Mafia III” was handed to a new studio in Hangar 13. It became obvious quickly that Hangar 13 wanted to make a different type of “Mafia” game no one expected by turning the player’s perspective from one side of the criminal world to another with mixed results. Thankfully the franchise wasn’t forgotten as the eighth generation’s end brought forth a plethora of remasters with the original “Mafia” now getting a new coat of paint while utilizing the same engine that powered its sequel’s sequel several years ago. Being a fan of all three games for various reasons, I was excited to see how Hangar 13 handled one of the most influential games of its time during an era when gaming is so different than it was when the original iteration was released.
Did I Complete “Mafia: Definitive Edition”?
Though crafted by Hangar 13 – a developer that embraced the open world nature of third-person action-adventure sandbox games when presenting “Mafia III” – this remake of “Mafia” sticks to how the original was presented with twenty playable missions in a semi-open world environment known as “Lost Heaven” (an obvious ode to Chicago). Taking control of Tommy Angelo, the player is tasked with assisting a mob family as they attempt to avoid war with another group of criminals while trying to make some money during the era of prohibition. With four levels of difficulty, the player will have to complete the story at least twice if they don’t want to experience the game’s hardest difficulty during their first playthrough (something not recommended with enemies taking a lot more to bullets before dying and reloading a gun actually removing ammo from the inventory if the clip isn’t completely empty). There are some other minor difficulty options that can be adjusted in the menu including the sensitivity of cops in regards to crimes committed by Tommy such as breaking the speed limit either setting off the fuzz if seen or completely ignored.
Collectibles make up a majority of play time for those completionists. Various cards will be located throughout the world and in mission-specific buildings, as well in the “Free Ride” mode that unlocks after finishing the first chapter (though is better played after completing the story on any difficulty). “Free Ride” not only allows the player to simply drive throughout Lost Heaven, but also discover “Hidden Jobs” that are usually time trials featuring Tommy trying to drive a car without damaging it in the allotted time with completion of said trial unlocking that car. Some other secrets tied to “Free Ride” will take a bit of work, but are usually pretty entertaining in the end; resulting in a game that takes at least fifty hours to complete the trophy/achievement list.
Did “Mafia: Definitive Edition” Live Up to the Hype?
The “Mafia” series has both benefited and been hindered by the evolution of sandbox/open world gaming. The first game came shortly after the release of “Grand Theft Auto III” and differentiated itself so much from Rockstar’s game that it perfectly worked on a different level. While “Mafia II” improved on the foundation of its predecessor, the genre had grown beyond what “II” was offering. “Mafia III” looked to be the best of both worlds by embracing the current open world norms while presenting a strong narrative through cutscenes and in-game conversations. Unfortunately, “Mafia III” changing the mission structure from the linear style of its predecessors hurt the narrative presentation; and Hangar 13 wasn’t making the same mistake here. Missions in “Mafia: DE” are focused in nature with each “Chapter” showcasing a mixture of unique content and story progression.
At the game’s start, Tommy Angelo is a cab driver trying simply live during an uneasy time. When Tommy accepts a position in the Salieri mob family the game’s presentation changes including typical money pick-ups turning into shootouts, rackets being challenged with Tommy forced to replace a race car driver, and stealthily moving around a rich family’s home in search for their secret vault. Though varied, the missions don’t stray too far out of the normal in regards to games of the genre by usually focusing on driving from point to point, shooting faceless goons or cops, and simply trying to avoid death until Tommy can reach that first aid box located in the corner of a bathroom. What the missions do is establish why each chapter matters in Tommy’s character evolution alongside his growing relationships with members of his new family.
Like the mission presentation, the gameplay isn’t revolutionary. Gunplay is solid with the player potentially having to adjust some of the sliders in regards to aiming speed and maybe even enabling the soft lock-on option to prevent the loose, yet sluggish nature of the crosshairs that can prevent much-needed headshots. Thanks to a newly implemented cover system, gunfights can prove a lot more strategic compared to the original as the AI is constantly moving and, depending on the cover, will be looking to keep the player from camping by throwing molotovs or grenades, and even shooting apart Angelo’s cover if possible. The weapon selection is usually mission specific with shotguns, explosives, and, of course, Tommy guns either being given to Tommy at the start of a mission or dropped by fallen enemies. Though definitely better than the original version in regards to firefights, the gunplay isn’t in any way memorable.
Melee combat, however, is memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. Building its hand-to-hand fighting system off games like “Batman: Arkham Asylum”, the player will have to use the onscreen prompt to avoid an incoming punch that will see Tommy shove the adversary and leave said target open for a series of strikes. Unfortunately the fistfight moments are unyielding & too loose for their own good with no lock-on system to help keep Tommy from swinging in every direction instead of focusing on a sole enemy.
This lacking combat option ties into the fact the AI isn’t that bright. Outside of changing cover or trying to lure Tommy out of his hiding space, a majority of the time the AI can’t figure out where to go to attack even if Angelo is literally on the other side of a wall they’re facing. Enemies will funnel into dangerous situations like ants and refuse to gang up on Tommy in melee situations, simply standing around & waiting for their turn to get bashed in the face. Though mostly dumb, the AI does have a great line of sight that usually makes the forced stealth sections a little more difficult than expected even if the player thoroughly plans Tommy’s route. Thankfully the game’s mission checkpoint system is pretty forgiving and it shouldn’t take players more than a few tries to complete whatever mission is causing them failure.
Not surprisingly, driving is a big part of the game with several missions featuring chase scenarios. With the game’s setting comes vehicles that don’t handle like those from other games in the genre, but the overall driving mechanics are a lot more player friendly than the original iteration; though it will take the player a couple of missions to get the hang of the more heavyset cars & trucks. In a nice addition to this version is the inclusion of motorcycles; arguably the most fun vehicles to drive. Another wise developer choice is the “Skip Drive” option during missions. Players who don’t want to waste time driving to the point of interest or just don’t enjoy the driving physics in general can use the “Skip Drive” button when available to transport Tommy to his destination.
Though a lot has changed in terms of gameplay, a majority of the story is the same outside of some dialogue modifications and extensions to the cutscenes. The vocal presentations are top notch with Andrew Bongiorno being the grounded narrator of Tommy’s story, Glenn Taranto giving Don Salieri a very fatherly charm, Jeremy Luke making Paulie a true wise guy, and Steven Oliver’s handling of the stoic Frank being almost haunting. Thanks to the graphical upgrade, character models of the most important characters standout a lot better than they did in the original including a pair of bruisers during the game’s epilogue; though the movement of said characters is rather stiff & robotic as if the remake was released in 2002. The sounds are mostly masterful as well be it the explosion of gunfire, the music playing on the car’s radio, or the score used during a hectic mission such as the church firefight.
Like “Mafia III” when it was originally released and the “Definitive Edition” of “Mafia II”, “Mafia: Definitive Edition” is technically flawed. Beyond some pop-in issues and moments of odd facial & mouth movements during cutscenes are some staggering framerate drops during the game’s latter half. Glitches that occur can be graphical in nature such as an NPC getting stuck in the ground temporarily or detrimental to a mission like Tommy refusing to pick up a gun when empty-handed and the player being forced to restart from the latest checkpoint to fix said problem. Screen tearing is noticeable throughout the game’s various cutscenes and, like the framerate, gets worse as the game progresses. Audio issues weren’t out of the ordinary during the last six or so missions with gunfire becoming muted and even an odd occurrence when the dialogue became nothing but loud static as if someone unplugged an old TV from the antenna.
Beyond the technical issues that can be fixed with future patches and some unremarkable gameplay decisions, “Mafia: Definitive Edition” mostly does right by what was a classic during its time. Thanks to the developers honoring a fantastic story presentation from almost two decades ago while making the game a lot more player friendly for newcomers, it’s hard to deny that this is, yet again, the benchmark in the “Mafia” franchise.
Should You Play “Mafia: Definitive Edition”?
It’s really hard to deny the hard work put into recreating what would be considered a relic from the past – a game that was revolutionary for its time, but lacks the gameplay options from games that would follow in the genre. Unfortunately, the “Definitive Edition” suffers from some minor & major technical issues that, hopefully, are fixed with patches. At a price twenty dollars less that most triple-A titles or even other remakes from this generation, “Mafia: DE” is almost a steal; though it may be wiser to wait until the game is further patched to prevent some frustrating moments caused by technical issues. If you’re looking for a semi-open world, action-adventure experience featuring a strong narrative, “Mafia: Definitive Edition” is an offer you can’t refuse.
