Mafia: Definitive Edition Review (Viseria)
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Story & Visuals
Mafia is an open world story rich game that combines interesting plot with awesome gameplay. The story follows the rise and fall of Tommy Angelo, a Sicilian American taxi driver that turns into a gangster working for the Salieri family. It's a tale of warring crime families, money, vengeance and betrayal. One of the things I was not expecting is how good the game looks. The lighting is incredible and combined with the reflections you see on cars sometimes it looks pretty much real.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3387389463
Atmosphere & Gameplay
Other aspects of the game that were amazing as well were the acting and face motion capture was on point, incredible soundtrack that I'm still listening to after playing. I really enjoyed the gameplay as well, the animations felt incredibly smooth when transitioning to cover, running or reloading. I liked that the weapons didn't feel very precise, which felt very immersive. The atmosphere and pacing for me is where Mafia shines the most. I was never, even once bored, the entire game. Nice and concise 8-10 hours story, with every mission offering fresh locations and objectives. You could be invading a house to rescue a buddy, throwing cocktails at cars, infiltrating a boat to assassinate someone, escaping a prison etc.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3388016396
Verdict
Overall I love this game and the only real criticism I have is that I wanted more. I wish we got side missions where we could get to know the characters even more. But I'd much rather play a solid game that left me wanting more than a game that left me wanting more because it felt incomplete. I had an amazing time playing Mafia and as someone who never played the original game, and only got to play the remake recently, I can say that this is a pioneer of cinematic, open world action, and an earnest homage to American crime fiction. A captivating and enjoyable experience that every gamer should try.
RATING: 8/10