A lot of buzz is starting to circulate around the upcomingMafia: The Old Country, with enough finally being known about the game to give fans a solid overview of what they can expect from it. TheMafiafranchise placed its roots over two decades ago in 2002, and it is abundantly clear thatThe Old Countryis paying a lot of respect to the earliest days of the franchise through its themes, gameplay, and major setting.
As things stand,Mafia: The Old Countryis aiming for an August 8 release date, with it being slated to launch for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. While theMafiaseries has drawn controversy over the years due to its wildly different gameplay approaches between titles, it already seems as if fans of allMafiaprojects have something to look forward to withThe Old Country. While Hangar 13 is still holding some cards close to its chest, some high expectations are being set in regard to the game’s main characters, core narrative, and historic Italian setting.
Expect Mafia: The Old Country to Take the Series' Premise to the Next Level
At its core,Mafia: The Old Countryis aiming to provide the franchise’s most authentic experience of the organized crime organizations that give the series its name. Away from the franchise’s usual portrayals of the United States,The Old Countrytakes take players to the Italian region of Sicily during the early 1900s. Specifically, the major setting ofThe Old Countrywill be the fictional town of San Celeste.
Long-time fans of the IP will recognize this as the same town thatVito Scaletta fought through inMafia 2’s WW2 flashback sequences. Hopefully, players can expect to see some potential callbacks to this previous portrayal throughoutThe Old Country’s gameworld and story. WithThe Old Countryalso taking place roughly 30 years before the franchise’s debut title, there may also be some room for references to the characters of the originalMafia, as well as the broader crime families that appear in bothMafiaandMafia 2.
Every mainlineMafiagame beyond its debut title has a direct narrative reference to a previousMafiaproject, making it much more likely forThe Old Countryto feature some familiar names or faces in some capacity.
In terms ofThe Old Country’s narrative, players will control the young and ambitious Enzo Favara, whose orphaned upbringing and a childhood of forced hard labor lead him into the ruthless arms of organized crime. Namely, Favara will find himself working his way up the ladder of the Torrisi family, leading to the same intense third-person gritty shootouts and schemes thatmade the originalMafiagames so memorable.
Mafia: The Old Country’s Setting Will Inform its Most Intruguing Gameplay Elements
The early 1900s setting ofThe Old Countryis a big pull factor of the game, showcasing the same clash between traditional and industrial worlds thatappeared in the likes of Rockstar’sRed Dead Redemption.Mafia: The Old Country’s gameplay trailer featured horse riders chasing down early forms of automobiles, for example, with both of these travel options being available to players. Ultimately, fans should expect this mix of historic and modern practices to be at the center ofMafia: The Old Country’s themes.
Fans should also expect to be given a fair range of choices in terms of how they approach combat, with the trailer additionally showcasing stealth takedowns as a viable alternative to head-on shootouts.The unique time period ofThe Old Countrywill also make a stiletto knife just as important as period-accurate shotguns and pistols in the game’s wide-spanning arsenal. The title’s authentic Mediterranean setting will also provide some stunning landscapes to compliment the big expectations behind its varied gameplay, withThe Old Countryperhaps being more akin to a classic Mob movie than any pastMafiaproject.
