Mafia: The Old Country is a third-person action-adventure game set in early 1900s Sicily. Players follow Enzo Favara, a young man escaping a life of forced labor, as he joins the Torrisi crime family and navigates the violent rise of organized crime in the region. The experience centers on a focused narrative delivered through linear missions that emphasize period details, from blade combat to early automobiles and rural landscapes.
Gameplay
Core gameplay revolves around third-person movement, exploration, and combat in a linear mission structure. Enzo traverses Sicilian environments on foot, by horseback, or in authentic turn-of-the-century vehicles. Combat mixes close-range knife fights and stealth takedowns with ranged options using handguns, rifles, and shotguns typical of the era. Players can ambush foes or engage in direct confrontations, with driving sequences that highlight the handling of horses and vintage cars across cobbled streets and open fields. The game includes opportunities to examine objects, collect documents, and interact with the world during missions, supported by Unreal Engine 5 visuals that render sun-drenched countryside, urban alleys, and historic interiors.
Game Modes
The primary mode follows the main story through a series of chapters that advance Enzo's path within the Torrisi family. After completing the prologue, players gain access to Free Ride mode, which allows free exploration of the Valle Dorata map. In this mode, users can undertake bonus jobs, races, and challenges while discovering collectibles and hidden locations. Exploration Mode provides a separate space for roaming with spawned vehicles and horses outside the strict story progression. No multiplayer components are present; the focus remains entirely on single-player narrative and side activities.
Story and Setting
The narrative unfolds in a brutal era of Sicilian organized crime, where rival families clash over territory and loyalties shift constantly. Enzo's journey highlights the personal costs of seeking power and status, set against authentic details like stiletto blades, lupara shotguns, and protection rackets enforced on foot or horseback. The world contrasts rugged countryside with grimy urban areas, all rendered with attention to historical accuracy in architecture, clothing, and daily life. Cinematic storytelling drives the experience, with voice performances that convey the emotional weight of family ties and betrayal.
Is It Worth Playing?
Mafia: The Old Country suits players who prioritize strong narrative delivery and atmospheric recreation of a specific historical period over open-world freedom or innovative mechanics. Reviews highlight effective writing, solid performances, and detailed environments as strengths, while noting conventional cover-based shooting and linear design as limitations. The game launched on August 8, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S and other platforms, with post-launch support adding Free Ride content. Those drawn to story-focused action-adventures set in the Mafia series' universe will find the most value here, particularly if they appreciate grounded combat and period authenticity rather than expansive side content or multiplayer elements.
