Before we get into this review, there are a few things you should know about me. I’m an Australian with Italian heritage, and my favourite film of all time is The Godfather. My grandparents are actually from Sicily, and I can even speak the Sicilian dialect myself. And to top it all off, I’ll be on holiday in Europe by the time this review is published, heading to Sicily in just a couple of weeks.
So it’s safe to say that Mafia: The Old Country was on my radar as one of my most anticipated games of 2025. I’ve been a fan of the Mafia series ever since the original game in 2002, which, thanks to the family PC, I played at an age that would be considered way too young even to comprehend the context of that world.
Mafia: The Old Country certainly has its flaws, but it does serve up an admirable prequel, with an engaging and emotional narrative, gorgeous visuals and solid gameplay. I will admit that it’s quite linear, and only really shows you its cards when it’s good and ready. That being said, it’s a wonderful, action-packed romp through the Sicialin countryside that feels inspired by other games in the series, without being bound to them.
Welcome to the Family
Mafia: The Old Country is set in Sicily, 1904, but other than its earlier period setting, it doesn’t tie into the other Mafia games. There are a few mentions of Empire Bay, the setting from Mafia II, but that’s about it. Players get to step into the shoes of Enzo Favara, a young sulphur mine worker, sold into the trade at a very young age.
After a serious incident in the mines, Enzo finds himself on the run and unknowingly hides out on the property of the Torrisi crime family. The family take a liking to Enzo and puts him to work on their estate, performing mundane tasks daily.
But via a series of increasingly questionable favours, Enzo is soon drawn into the shady dealings of the Sicilian underworld on a path that highlights his positive traits like loyalty and strength, at the cost of some seriously and morally confronting conundrums. Throw the Don’s daughter, Isabella, into the mix as a potential love interest, and it feels like trouble and danger are waiting around every corner.
While the story focuses primarily on Enzo’s descent into organised crime, it utilises its backdrop and setting quite well. For example, the game takes its time in actually introducing you to the hidden affairs of the Torrisi family, and puts you to work on the estate. While these scenes sound far from riveting, they do a great job at introducing you to each of the main players in the family, while fleshing out many of their backstories, roles and overall intentions.
After only a few hours in this world, you’ll feel like you’ve known this family for a while, which is also a credit to the voice performances across the board.
The story is a tightly woven blend of cinematic gameplay and well-acted cutscenes, and for the most part, it works. I’m not going to lie, you’ve probably dealt with most of these themes and storylines in other forms of media, but I think it’s balanced relatively well here.
The linear nature of the experience somewhat limits the freedom of its gameplay, but ultimately benefits the story and its characters when it comes to direction and pacing.
The Old Ways
Mafia: The Old Country plays things relatively straightforward when it comes to gameplay. The aforementioned linearity of the game means that most gameplay mechanics are structured according to the narrative.
When it’s time to shoot, you shoot. When it’s time to sneak around, don’t get caught. When it’s time to get on your horse and ride, you ride to a particular destination. None of these mechanics are broken, nor frustrating, and everything plays incredibly well.
Gunplay feels weighty and punchy, knocking enemies back as you nail them with the Lupara shotgun or a hefty six-shooter. Taking cover feels familiar enough, and you can also orbit and switch between pieces of cover. You’ll generally be able to hold both a pistol and a two-handed weapon like a rifle or shotgun, and be able to switch any time.
Enzo also has access to a range of knives, which can be unlocked and purchased throughout the story. These knives generally wear and tear with each use, so Enzo must not only choose when to use them, but also keep on top of his whetstone supply, which can be used to sharpen knives and restore durability. Each knife also has a specific trait and, along with certain levels of durability, can grant you buffs like slightly restoring Enzo’s health with each knife kill, or being able to hold additional throwing knives.
Knife fights are also a huge part of the story, as Enzo will face off against multiple enemies throughout the narrative. These fights are incredibly cinematic, drawing the camera in close and giving players the ability to slash, thrust, parry, dodge and even break enemy defences with a hefty shove. These fights are generally straightforward, but carry with them a genuine sense of weight and danger.
There’s even a perks system known as Charms, laid out across a rosary necklace. It’s a little on the nose, but the system essentially grants you up to five slots, which are unlocked and purchased throughout the game, to assign certain perks like increasing your chance of automatically dodging certain bullets or faster knife-sharpening skills. It’s not the deepest system, and most perks are gained through minimal exploration, as the game’s currency, Dinari, can be found everywhere, but it’s a nice touch nonetheless.
Driving takes a backseat at times, as you’re not really behind the wheel of a car that often. Certain chase and race sequences are once again, incredibly cinematic, and cars generally handle well, even if they’re made to run a little quicker than they would have been back in the day. Like previous Mafia games, players also get the chance to browse the Carcyclopedia in the main menu and even jump into an upcoming free-ride mode after completing the game, which will give them way more opportunities to shine.
Finally, there are certain stealth sections, which allow players to choke out enemies or use their knife at the cost of its durability. These sections are fine for the most part, but I didn’t like that you can’t get caught at any point. Doing so restarts the section and really removes any of the freedom for encounters to turn into gunfights.
Look the Part
Visually, Mafia: The Old Country is gorgeous. Even on my older RTX 3070, I managed to get a steady 60 FPS on medium to high settings. The Sicilian countryside glows under the heat of the sun, while the draw distances are also incredibly impressive, adding a sense of scope to the scenery.
Unreal Engine 5 does make all the difference when it comes to more detailed character models and lighting effects, and there’s little to complain about here. While there are certain instances of Enzo clipping through cover or your horse through walls here and there, it’s nothing so drastic that it detracts from the overall experience.
But where Mafia: The Old Country truly shines is in its authenticity. The original score is fantastic, and like something out of The Godfather, loving and uplifting at times, and tense and haunting in others.
The game is even available in Sicialin dubbing, which is just surreal to see and hear. While that’s about as authentic as you can get, I wish this had some dedicated lip syncing. Even then, there are a few instances where the subtitles don’t exactly translate but are instead shortened to get the point across.
I hate to admit it, but much of the charm of the Sicilian dialect comes from not only the slang, but the amount of curse words thrown into ordinary sentences, which just don’t make their way across to the subtitles. As someone who speaks the dialect, it would have been a nice touch to help the language shine through a little better for English players.
That being said, the English voice acting is also fantastic, with a fair amount of Sicilian words thrown in there for good measure, too.
Final Thoughts
Mafia: The Old Country is a fantastic, authentic and lovingly crafted trip into the Sicilian underworld. It’s visually stunning, mechanically stable and at times, utterly engrossing.
But it’s also worth weighing up the experience in advance, to help better judge expectations. Firstly, Mafia: The Old Country is truly linear in its approach. Most sequences only really see you doing one thing at a time, without much room for exploration or side activities.
I wish stealth sections could allow players to turn the situation into a gunfight. I wish I could explore more, and hop in a car or a horse of my choice and whip around the countryside more often. I wish the side mission and objectives were more present and consistent, too.
Even then, it’s all in service of a more dedicated narrative. And for that reason, I feel I can forgive most of its flaws. And it’s in that approach that Mafia: The Old Country creates strengths of its own, drawing you into this delicately crafted world.
For a streamlined story, while a double-edged sword at times, it feels more like a success at every given turn. It’s certainly a sun (and blood) drenched trip worth taking.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fantastic narrative and voice performances; Gorgeous visuals; Sicilian dubbing is a nice touch for the sake of authenticity
Lowlights: Very linear in terms of its mechanics and exploration
Developer: Hangar 13
Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: 8th of August
Review conducted on PC via Steam with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
Featured images also provided by the publisher.
