I was genuinely happy to see Mafia: The Old Country when it was announced during the 2024 Game Awards, both because the series has been pretty consistent in terms of quality and because it was a genuine surprise to see another entry. For a series that has never really been trying to compete with other sandbox crime simulators, its staying power has been pretty amazing.
Much like with The Godfather II, it seems easy to assume that taking Mafia: The Old Country back to the past would be a recipe for instant success. However, returning to its roots has resulted in Mafia playing out more like The Godfather III—small moments of brilliance overshadowed by a genuinely mediocre experience.
Mafia: The Old Country tells the story of Enzo—a young man sold into slavery in a Sicilian sulphur mine in the early 1900s. However, after a daring escape from his captors, the Spadaro famiglia, he finds himself on the land of Don Torissi, who saves him from his captors, with whom... Read more