After Mafia II: Definitive Edition, only its prequel remains. The remake of the original brings back Tommy Angelo’s descent into organised crime within the US city of Lost Heaven. There are a few ways it holds up, and a few ways it doesn’t. Newcomers might find some of its commitments to realism off-putting, but die-hard fans will get a kick out of it. All in all, it’s still a pretty good game.
Hangar 13 deserves praise for developing such a faithful remake. To make the narrative shine, every cutscene has been painstakingly recreated for the modern era. Supporting characters, like Tommy’s love interest, have been fleshed out to provide more depth. The iconic race is back and better than ever, and the mission before it is much less frustrating this time. Fans will love that and all the other memorable sequences. It’s the Mafia you remember.
The story itself proves it. You really get to know the protagonist as well as his friends, the mobsters. Paulie and Sam become best friends quickly, while Don Salieri commands respect instantly. Along with their odd jobs, they try to beat the rival Morello family. While not much actually happens during the plot, the quality voice acting gives the impression of an epic instead of a short story. You really get to walk the walk and talk the talk as Tommy Angelo. It’s like he can get away with anything with fantastic characters by his side.
Those kinds of crimes would definitely result in a life sentence, so that’s great for him. There’s some stealth here and there, but it’s the mission variety that elevates it beyond those derogatory terms. It’s got everything from sniping a politician from the top of a prison guard tower to a shootout inside a church. Let’s see if the controls can match that. Movement speed takes a nosedive the more you wrestle with Mafia: Definitive Edition’s clunky inputs. Tommy controls like a tank, even at the best of times. Inaccurate aiming reticules are always to blame for misplaced shots, but lining it up with an enemy’s head can be a challenge. Four years later, even these mechanics feel outdated.
However, that’s nothing compared to the horrible handling. Hangar 13 was trying to recreate the cars of the time, but it also had to make it fun to play. Totally forgot about the latter in Mafia: Definitive Edition. Automobiles crashed into each other more often than Formula 1 drivers back in the 1930s. The stiff handling makes it difficult to travel between missions and explore the city. There are also a few changes to Lost Heaven in the remake, but they’re just options you can choose at the beginning of a 15-hour playthrough. Several different collectibles can be found in every corner to flesh out the world, and new difficulty modes let you fine-tune the experience. It’s just a choice, not a new way to play.
The visuals can be both impressive and inadequate. Character models, especially in cutscenes, look amazing, as do some environments, but make some greenery on the outskirts of the city and you can get texture pop-ins. We’re working with an old city layout, so it’s to be expected. When you turn your back, cars float in mid-air and the frame rate drops dramatically during intense combat sections.
