Game Review: Mafia: Definitive Edition (Xbox Series X)

Originally released in 2002 and with several sequels in 2010 and 2016, Mafia is an action-adventure video game developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers. For this Definitive Edition, Hangar 13 took over development and the game was published by 2K Games.

Players take on the role of Tommy Angelo, a Sicilian-American cab driver who, thanks to a chance meeting, ends up working for the Salieri crime family. Set in the 1930s, in the fictional city of Lost Heaven, the story charts the rise and fall of not just the family but Tommy himself.

Rebuilt from the ground up, this is no re-release or remaster. This is a gorgeous and refined modernisation of a game that is nearly 20 years old. From the stunning detail in the expansive city, to the captivating facial animations, to the gorgeous lighting and excellent voice acting (redone here with new voice actors), Mafia is simply wonderful to look at and listen too.

Aside from the occasional rough texture here and there, there is no picking faults with the effort that has gone into making Mafia look the best it could be.

For those unfamiliar with Mafia and used to the free-roaming worlds where mission can be completed as and when you choose, how the main story plays out might take some getting used too at first.

The story, Tommy’s story, plays out over 20 missions. As he rises through the ranks of the family and realises this life is probably going to end with him getting a bullet between the eyes. Told through flashbacks, as Tommy spills the beans to a cop in return for protection for him and his family, the story is excellent. Aping all the movies you can think of (Godfather, Goodfellas, Mean Streets), it’s a gangster’s life and you get to live it. In a surprisingly linear way.

The story is supposed to play out like a movie and that is how it goes. Complete a mission, watch the cutscenes then do the next and so on. If you want to jump in a car and explore Lost Heaven that is what Free Roam mode is for. Now, that might sound like a bad thing but actually, it’s quite refreshing and it ensures you stay fully invested in the story.

Thanks to a lot of variety in the missions too, you’ll not find yourself getting bored. From heart-racing police car chases to shootouts in a library to sniping a popular politician and escaping prison to crashing an aeroplane. Mafia has great variation and challenges the player in all the right ways even if the end result is often just… shoot everyone that tries to shoot you.

The desire to make Mafia: Definitive Edition as realistic as possible also translates to the gameplay. Tommy feels solid, a little cumbersome but solid. The driving mechanics take some getting used too but feel so authentic to the time-period. Gunplay is effective and the difference between a pistol and Tommy gun is substantial. Fist fighting is probably the game’s biggest let down as it’s mostly spamming the attack button until the ‘finisher’ prompt comes up. Thankfully, the instances you have to fight are few and far between.

It’s a small complaint in what is a mostly flawless remake. Mafia: Definitive Edition lives up to its name. It is the best video game version of the gangster movies everyone loves.