The year is 1900, somewhere in Sicily. At the bottom of a mine, strong fellows are outrageously exploited by management hungry for profit. Accidents (collapses, asphyxiation, poisoning) are not rare. Enzo and his companion, Gaetano, are unceremoniously sent in search of missing miners. The exploration becomes perilous, Gaetano will not survive.
Enzo is forced to flee and ends up finding refuge in an estate, that of the Torrisi family, one of the most powerful in the region. The big boss, Don Bernardo Torrisi, hires him as a handyman and grants him “protection” that he must earn. In the distance, a volcano — most likely Etna — rumbles… And the boss’s daughter has no shortage of charms.
New episode of the “Mafia” franchise, “The Old Country” makes no secret of belonging to a genre that may seem out of fashion. It is an action and infiltration game (with some horse-riding and motorized variants) that is intensely narrative. In other words, the linear story being told is as important, if not more, than its interactive portions. The exercise is perilous, successes are rare (we think of the fabulous “Red Dead Redemption 2”) and this “Mafia” begins by showing itself in a favorable light.
We just have to accept the fact that we are not operating in a world that is particularly open to exploration. Going from one yellow point to another (on foot, on horseback, by car) will be the only way to trigger a new part of the scenario. Deviate too much and it’s “game over” (with a countdown to get back on track) that threatens.
But so be it. It’s been a long time since we’ve been told an ambitious story, so we were happy to embark on it. Especially since the graphic design is very good.
Not far, but ultimately no
So, good game and good film this “Mafia – The Old Country”? Not far, but ultimately no. We first let ourselves be carried away by this rise of a less than nothing in a mafia clan. Nothing new under the sun for those who have mastered their little illustrated Scorsese (that of “Goodfellas”) and Coppola (that of “Godfather”), but a business that runs smoothly with a very correctly written (and interpreted) story.
Only here, once the apotheosis (in an opera in Palermo, which is reminiscent of the finale of “Godfather III”, it’s a compliment), the few missions which remain are unbearably laborious. The twists and turns lean towards tragedy with the lightness of a panzer division thrown at a flower carrier. And Chekhov’s gun, the volcano that rumbles a little more with each new year, finally goes off, but we damn well saw it coming.
Gameplay-wise, it’s the same. At the beginning, we adopt. We concede that it is not wildly original, but at least effective. However, the repetitive side of the knife duels, too numerous, too systematic, too long, started by annoying us before making us irremediably angry. Especially when they are accompanied by endless cutscenes, because they are totally predictable.
So, we came away from this “Mafia” a bit disgusted and disappointed. We almost forget that just before chapters XIII and
“Mafia – The Old Country”, single player, developed by Hangar 13, published by Take 2. Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Windows PC.
