Last Updated on Aug 29, 2025 @ 11:15:29 AM.
It’s been a little bit of time since the last entry in the Mafia franchise, with the somewhat maligned Mafia III, and now Hangar 13 is gracing us with the latest entry, and the earliest (being that it’s a prequel) in Mafia: The Old Country. The fundamentals may not have changed; you’re still in a Mafioso organisation, you’re still committing reprehensible acts in the name of family and honour, but the familiar US cities and settings are gone, this time replaced with early 1900s Sicily, and this really could be this game’s biggest strength.
Mafia: The Old Country opens with players being introduced to our protagonist for the next 15 hours, Enzo Favara, and his forlorn and desperate-looking life as an exploited mine worker, who desperately wants a better life for himself and his friend, Gaetono. Things transpire, and within the first opening minutes, that all becomes a distant memory as Enzo ends up under the tutelage of the Torrisi family, and a life of crime, honour, death, and love begins.
There are certain gameplay moments and mechanics we’ve all grown to appreciate and expect from the Mafia franchise, and for the most part, Mafia: The Old Country does not disappoint. With a new time period comes new opportunities, and it may sound odd to say, but this both feels like a familiar experience and a brand new one. Semi-automatic weapons are out, replaced by more realistic weapons of the time, and when you’re surrounded by a multitude of enemies, you’ll certainly miss them, trust me. You’ll need to pick your shots well, and I’m glad to say that the gunplay feels solid enough for each of the different weapons you’ll end up with your old dependable pretty quickly, but there are so a fair few options to pick from, despite the limitations of the historical age.
For every satisfying moment of gunplay you’ll have, I’m sorry to say that you’ll have to deal with your fair share of stuttering, clanky, flat-out awkward knife fights. The idea of them is great. The cinematic feel. The air of desperation as you see your health drop dangerously low, and you know you have to attack and kill your enemy before he hits the final blow. But they just don’t work. They’re not fun, they’re slow, they’re repetitive. Unfortunately, it’s one of the parts of Mafia: The Old Country that feels tacked on. If they don’t make another appearance in the franchise, I, and a lot of other people, I think, won’t particularly miss them.
Talking of cinematic, the story of Mafia: The Old Country may be a franchise high, as it felt like one of the most legitimate and believable of them so far. It captured every part of what makes a great gangster story, from the ‘lowly’ new hire that works his way up, is trusted, and gets pulled into the dark underworld of the Mafia families’ inner workings, a forbidden love story, warring factions, and betrayal. It has it all, and you’ll quickly be invested.
It’s not only cinematic in the way it’s presented, both structurally and with payoffs something akin to a Hollywood film, but also graphically. It is a truly outstanding game to take in as you’re exploring the Sicilian countryside, or the interiors of some nondescript building, or breaking into a shipyard. It is consistently beautiful.
However, all praise aside for the look and feel of the game, Mafia: The Old Country drops the ball in two particularly big moments, for me at least. Firstly, the optimization is poor. In 2025, there’s an unspoken expectation that immersion won’t be broken in ways that are within the developers’ control, one of which is the pop-in of assets, and unfortunately, that’s a regular occurrence throughout your playtime with the game. Whether it’s a quick journey to collect some outstanding protection racket earnings or rushing to save a counterfeiter from the grasp of the local police force, you’ll be acutely aware of it happening on the reg.
Secondly, the bizarre choice to have such a beautiful, interesting world locked into a linear story, with little to no opportunity to fully explore, is one that I will lament until Hangar 13 hopefully releases a post-launch patch that allows open-world opportunities. To be honest, it feels like it was originally designed to be open-world and was scrapped late on, but that’s just me spitballing.
All-in-all, Mafia: The Old Country isn’t a perfect game, but very few are. There are a few missteps that could be rectified with a few patches and updates, because the bones of the game are there, and ready to be fully unleashed into what a Mafia game should be. During my time with the game, I rarely found myself bored, switching off, or all too frustrated (apart from those Goddamn knife fights), and I have to give special credit to Enzo, our newest Mafia protagonist, as a personal favourite. And if nothing else, this is the Mafia story and setting that’ll feel like what many would consider to be the ‘truest’ version of a Mafia (the stereotype, not this franchise) story.
Mafia: The Old Country
Mafia: The Old Country is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K. It is the fourth main entry in the Mafia franchise and the fifth game overall, and a prequel to the series, taking place before the events of the first game.
Summary
The frankly beautiful environment, rags-to-riches/forbidden love story, and memorable characters lift up the game, while the popping-in and optimization, and lack of a true open-world let the finished game down. With a couple of patches, this could end up being elevated to the best of the franchise, but for now, it’s just on the cusp.
HOURS PLAYED: 20
PLAYED ON: PS5
- Beautiful vistas, environments and gorgeously designed assets will blow you away.
- Interesting story that feels like a classic Mafia adventure.
- A LOT of pop-in which is not only distracting, but an unacceptable level of optimization by the devs in today's day and age.
- Why no open-world? Baffling decision.
Mafia: The Old Country is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
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Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
