Game Review: Mafia Definitive Edition

I just finished Mafia Definitive Edition (2020), 2K’s remake of Illusion Softwork’s 2002 classic on the PS2, XBOX, and PC. Mafia boasts stunning graphical and audio fidelity, a vibrant open world and a riveting story, but comes just short of masterpiece status due to its rudimentary gameplay systems and strict linearity. So, without further ado, here is my review.

Played on PS4.

Welcome to New Heaven

Mafia is set in the fictional city of New Heaven during the 1930s. At the height of the prohibition era in the United States, New Heaven is modelled most closely to the city of Chicago, where bootlegging and organized crime swept the city as the Great Depression changed its economic makeup. In building this world, Mafia does a good job. The city is rendered with painstaking detail, from the glistening neon lights in the downtown core to the smoggy workers’ district, New Heaven features a variety of districts, each with their own personality. Mafia builds on its setting with time appropriate radio broadcasts illustrating the city’s economic struggles, the rise of President Roosevelt, and the continuing wave of organized crime that has gripped the city. Around the environments you will also find small side conversations fleshing out the lore of this world, and collectibles that make reference to the art and entertainment of the era. Missions take place in a variety of locales, each meant to breathe life into the city. Main character Tommy Angelo may find himself aboard a steamliner for a political fundraiser, or an old prison filled with victims of the great market collapse, and in each level the developments in the world around you are communicated in plain sight. The soundtrack is period authentic and the score is dazzling. When comparing the remake’s graphical detail to either its 2010 or 2002 predecessor, you get a clear sense of just how far video games have come technologically. Mafia Definitive Edition is by far one of the best looking games on the previous gen consoles and overall. However, despite all of the work put into rendering this gorgeous open world, it comes as a disappointment that so little of it is used. The main story follows a linear path and closes off most opportunities for exploration, so the vast majority of the city is left unexplored after the credits roll. There is a free ride mode but there are no side missions or interactable elements on the map to justify roaming through this world after its story. There is so much that developer Hangar 13 could have done to animate this world with life and rigor, but instead they choose to leave most of it unpopulated. A significant missed opportunity. Finally, in terms of performance, the games runs quite smoothly, although there were a handful of times when glitches in either the level geometry or AI forced me to load my last checkpoint.

The Salieri Family

Mafia’s strongest offering is its impressive story. Clocking in at around 12 hours, the story follows protagonist Tommy Angelo as he goes from an everyday cab driver to a made man in one of New Heaven’s largest crime families. Tommy is a compelling character with convincing motivations, an intriguing backstory, and a satisfying arch. His climb up the ladder is supported by his partners Paulie and Sam, each of whom have interesting personalities and strong chemistry with the main character. The voice acting and facial capture performances are nothing short of outstanding. These characters, from their mannerisms to their mode of communicating, come alive on the screen, and the player becomes deeply invested in their fortunes. The story also features a realistic depiction of the internal conflict that most gangsters struggle with between their own conscience and their aspirations for wealth and power. For every step in the ladder Tommy took, a trail of blood and destruction was left behind, and it clearly took a toll on him. The dynamics between mob boss Don Salieri, rival gang leaders, politicians, policeman, and Tommy himself are all well realized. On top of this, the game takes time to build Tommy’s relationship with his soon to be wife and the family portion of his life. It all comes together with a thrilling climax that, although familiar to anyone who has watched gangster movies or TV shows, still sticks the landing and proves surprisingly realistic. Very rarely do people rise so high up in the ranks of a criminal organization and walk away scot-free. One day or another, the enemies you made and the notoriety you built comes to fruition. That is exactly what happens to Tommy Angelo and I appreciated that the game was willing to end its story on such a somber note. If there are any criticisms I would levy against the story, it would simply be that I wanted more. More backstory, my character building, and more insights into the dynamics of power in the city. Its a testament to an element of a game and its quality when the biggest critique made against it is that there is more the gamer wants of it.

The Basics

Where Mafia falters is in its gameplay loop. In Mafia you do three basic activities: driving, shooting, and traversing through the world. The driving is solid. The cars have a real weight to them and you can appreciate when you have reached very high speeds. Given that the game is set in the 1930s, the capabilities of vehicles are rather limited, and despite this, the driving still feels smooth and satisfying. Gunplay however is a let down. While the guns have a real pop to them, the auto aim assist in inconsistent, the hit detection is off, and the bullet physics are lacking. There are only four or five weapons in the entire game, and it starts to become repetitive using the same Tommy Gun and Shotgun in every engagement. Moving through the world also feels awkward, mainly because your character feels so limited. Hangar 13 was certainly aiming for realism, but they decided to forego freedom in exchange for it. Moving in and out of cover, around corners, and during chases all feels telegraphed. You bump into things, clip through others, and find your player unresponsive to your controller commands. The AI are also rather dull, doing and same things over and over again. The car chases also feel rather limited, setting you on a specific trajectory and punishing you for the slightest deviation. The gameplay fails to offer anything beyond this. Exploration, investigation, puzzle solving are all missing. You cannot control boats, planes, or other vehicles. Stealth is barebones, with a simple takedown and crouching position available. The level design is also restrictive, not giving you any incentive to stray off the beaten path. It is in its gameplay that Mafia feels the most like it is a remake of a game from 2002, rather than something built from the ground up. I sometimes wondered whether the code for the game was even changed when developing this remake. The systems feel basic and sometimes even archaic. I would have loved to see Hangar 13 invest more time providing more gameplay opportunities, a wider variety of vehicles, guns, and stealth mechanics, and modernizing how players interacted with the world around them. Instead, it is played very safe, much to its own detriment.

Conclusion

Mafia is quite an achievement. It revives a long dormant classic and gives it new life. The visuals and audio are stunning, the story — which was already gripping — is given more context, and the world that is built effectively captures the attitude and atmosphere of 1930s Prohibition Era Chicago. Unfortunately, due to archaic gameplay systems, the game does not quite reach the heights it was so clearly destined for. Mafia Definitive Edition is worth a play and a nice way to experience an age old classic. Get lost in New Heaven.

SCORE: 8.0/10

Mafia 2 Definitive Edition: 6.0/10

Mafia 3: 6.0/10