MAFIA: THE OLD COUNTRY | REVIEW

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

Released on August 8, 2025, Mafia: The Old Country has returned to its roots, both metaphorically and literally. This is the first game to be featured outside the United States and takes us to early 1900s Sicily, where the Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, was originally founded.

I rank games based on three criteria. If a studio passes them, then they have a decent game on their hands. Most games tend to miss the mark on at least one of the criteria. Mafia: The Old Country is unfortunately no different. The criteria are the following: Narrative, Gameplay, and World-building.

When it comes to sequels there is another sub-set of criteria that also must be matched. Which is that the game evolves the characters it features, (or does a good of a job or better than its predecessor), retains or evolves from qualities (that improve from previous titles), and finally expands the world (giving a reason the next installment exists).

BACK TO THE ROOTS - HOW IT'S DONE RIGHT

This game is an example of what every game studio should look out for. Hangar 13 changed the formula with Mafia III in 2016 from a linear story-focused game to an open world one. The game was poorly received by fans and critics alike. Clearly by their work showcased in the recent installment, it's clear they listened and boy did it pay off.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

This game is absolutely gorgeous to take in. I had just finished replaying through Mafia I: Definitive Edition and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the main interact and parkour buttons were the same. Other buttons performed similar functions, but those were two things I noticed first. The fact that players can put down the first game and can immediately pick up The Old Country with immediate familiarity was a really nice touch.

NARRATIVE

The game starts with Enzo as a mine boy, saving enough money to cover his debt. The mine collapses, Enzo loses his friend, and the foreman continues to drive workers under deadly conditions. Enzo refuses and duels the foreman (Il Merlo) but manages to escape. Don Torrisi saves Enzo after crossing into territory held by another family.

Enzo makes himself useful by winning a race when their main driver becomes unavailable. It is well known that the race in Mafia is one of, if not the worst, most frustrating missions in the franchise. It's not that bad in The Old Country. Once again, Enzo must do menial tasks, delivering wine across town. He's joined by Isabella when he's forced to duel a member of the Spadaro family, rivals of Don Torrisi. Luca, the Don's right-hand man, stops Enzo from killing the rival member. Enzo becomes smitten with the Don's daughter (Just like Tommy does with Sarah in Mafia)

After winning the race, Enzo graduates from doing menial tasks to making collections. It's during one of these collections that players get a first taste of gunplay. Even though Genarro is the match Don Torrisi wants for his daughter, it's clear Isabella would rather marry Enzo. He saves Isabella and Genarro from a kidnapping. This was orchestrated by a rival of the Baron, Don Torrisi borrows land from. After capturing this man, Enzo executes him and is initiated into the Mafia family the next night.

Enzo is tasked with freeing a counterfeiter. Things go sideways as usual. When he returns home, Isabella makes a surprise visit. The next morning, there is another race, and Isabella spends the night. He is woken to the news that the tannery is going to be raided. One of the prisoners (L'Ombra) leads the authorities, where the counterfeit money is being printed. Enzo is saved by Cesare (The Don's Nephew).

A factory strike causes Enzo to investigate. The foreman was severely in debt to the Spadaro's, who tried to kill Enzo and set the factory on fire. Sometime after, during the baptism for Luca's child, Il Merlo assassinates several Torrisi men. After a series of parkour chases and duels, Il Merlo is finally killed by Luca. Don Torrisi is convinced to have a sit-down to discuss a peace between families. Isabella briefly talks to Enzo the next morning.

Baron Fontanella puts up his lands to settle the feud, but the land is where Don Torrisi currently lives. Spadaro exits, and his men try to kill them all. (I thought this would be an ambush from the beginning) Luca is hurt. Enzo gets Luca to a truck, and Enzo has to shoot from the truck as we make our getaway. Which is very reminiscent of when Sam's hit in the barn and the armored vehicle chases Tommy in Mafia 1. Luca's dying words are "Get out if you can." 

There's a meeting at an opera house in the city, and Torrisi wants Enzo to show them that they are not done yet. In doing this, the family will owe Enzo a huge debt. On our way to complete the Opera house task, Isabella distracts Enzo by telling him that she won’t let him die for her father’s honor, and she won’t let Enzo befall the same fate as Luca. She pulls his hand towards her stomach and tells him she’s pregnant. After a shootout, Enzo duels Spadaro in a knife fight, finally killing his rival and avenging Luca.

Enzo now knows that he must escape the life he swore to die for. In a deal with Torrisi, Gennaro Fontanella wills his lands to Torrisi in exchange for Isabella's hand in marriage. Only the remaining Spadaro captains are standing in the way. Leo Galante books passage for Enzo and Isabella, who are caught at the train station.

Enzo is taken to Don Torrisi, who plans on having Cesare kill him. When the volcano erupts, Enzo takes the opportunity to push Cesare out the window, falling close behind. They duel, and Enzo escapes. Don Torrisi chases Enzo into the mine he escaped from at the beginning of the game. In a final boss fight, we fight Torrisi, the man himself, who took Enzo in and swore him into the family. With Torrisi gone, Cesare offers a hand in friendship, only for Enzo to be stabbed.

In a shocking turn of events we're not done, yet. Enzo might be gone, but Isabella still lives. The final boss fight between Enzo and Don Torrisi is similar to The Last of Us: Part II, which ends in a knife fight. The fight between Isabella and Tino is similar to The Last of Us: Part I, where Ellie has to sneak around and stealthily attack David. After taking out Tino, Isabella is confronted by Cesare, who lets her go, she sets sail and arrives in New York.

ANALYSIS

Several moments brought back memories from earlier games. Enzo and Isabella remind me of Tommy and Sarah. Shooting from the back of a moving truck, the races. The overall story felt very much right at home. I did not expect Enzo to get Isabella pregnant, and I most certainly did not see Enzo dying, and the biggest shock of all was playing as Isabella. While there is not nearly as much to explore as in Mafia III, I can confidently say that Mafia: The Old Country is closer to what fans have been asking for.

GAMEPLAY

The gunplay is satisfying. It feels like your shots really do count as it takes 2-3 body shots, if you don't get a headshot. Keep in mind that Enzo can go down in just a few shots as well. At the end of the day this is a Mafia game and that is exactly what fans wanted.

The stealth is decent. It is perhaps the best stealth system in the franchise. There is only one glaring issue and it is that whenever the objective is "Avoid Detection" it does not matter because Enzo manages to always get caught anyways. This is an example of a game not rewarding players for executing an objective flawlessly. That being said it would appear that The Old Country's stealth was inspired by games like The Last of Us and Hitman where players can choke/stab enemies stealthily, use knives to unlock doors/boxes and use coins/bottles to distract enemies.

WORLDBUILDING

The Old Country does an excellent job of expanding the franchise, by bringing the game's setting back to where it all began. It is a story about a young man doing what he can to survive, while being plagued by a forbidden love.

The sections of the game where Enzo drives NPC's around the countryside are pretty to look at. Sadly, the game barely gives players any opportunity to explore the world. In the main menu under "Chapter Replay," players can explore the world to complete their collection of collectibles and upgrade their weapons, cars, and looks.

Easter Eggs

1. Leo Galante will eventually become the Consigliere to the Vinci crime family, but in The Old Country, he's helping his grandfather. 2. San Celeste is the town featured in the opening chapter of Mafia II and where Vito grew up. 3. Frank Vincci, the Don who Vito works for initially in Mafia II, is a bartender working with Leo Galante. 4. Giuseppe is the forger whom Enzo breaks out to make the counterfeit currency. He’s a shop owner in Mafia II. 6. Don Salieri’s arrest record can be found in the police station. He’s the Don from Mafia. Frank Colletti is also mentioned in the arrest record. 7. Sam Trapani is one of Luca’s children.

Nit picks, Gripes, and Complaints

No matter how stealthily Enzo can be, it does not matter because he is always getting caught. When starting a new chapter, the weapons and outfits are almost always automatically are set to default, not whatever the player had previously bought/equipped. In the celebration, after his initiation, Enzo's cut on his lip is automatically healed. Finally, sometimes the journal section reveals key spoiler information before it happens in-game. The scar from Isabella on Tino's face in the previous cutscene is missing.

CONCLUSION

The only downside is the explorable world. There could have been a little more time between missions. Other than that, the gameplay is decent. Enzo truly realizes what he has become. The game overall delivers on the classic Mafia experience fans have been itching for since Mafia II and missed with Mafia III. The story is where Mafia: The Old Country truly shines. I would recommend checking it out.