Despite taking place in a fictional setting, the Mafia franchise has always taken pride in ensuring it gives a historically accurate portrayal of whichever time period it takes place in. Great care is taken to ensure this is the case with each entry, and the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country is no exception to this. Balancing this realism with compelling gameplay mechanics is where the real challenge lies.
The Best War Games recently caught up with Mafia: The Old Country's game director, Alex Cox, to break down exactly how the game balances the two elements. They discussed how the extensive research they conducted into early 1900s Sicilian life helped to frame certain aspects of the gameplay and offered some examples of gameplay details that are grounded in historical authenticity.
How Mafia: The Old Country’s San Celeste Compares to Other Mafia Settings
A lot is already known about Mafia: The Old Country's Sicilian setting, with San Celeste shaping up to be quite different from what fans have seen.
How Mafia's Gameplay is Influenced By its Setting
Mafia: The Old Country's unique setting has necessitated that some of Mafia's core gameplay elements be tweaked. For example, there were no Tommy guns or automatic weapons which were readily available in Sicily in the early 1900s, which means combat is less chaotic, and more strategic, with ammunition being far scarcer. Cox confirmed this, but wanted to reassure players that the experience is still a video game first and foremost, so dramatic licence had to be used. He said:
''I suppose, in real life, if we really went by what really happened in the Sicilian mafia, it’s the same as anything in a video game. As the protagonist, you kill like 1000 people. In real life, that wouldn’t happen. The Sicilian Mafia is a secretive and insidious organization that rules through fear, assassinates, and violently intimidates the right people to get their way. Sure, in this video game, we're a shooter, so we embellish those scenarios in the first place. It’s action-driven. However, the story still has all of that tone and vibe.''
Knife Fights Are Another Example of the Game's Authenticity
Cox and his team have gone to great lengths to ensure the historical accuracy of the project, as can be observed in everything from the game's buildings, cars, and weapons, as well as aspects such as dialect and body language. Cox explained how traditional Sicilian knife-fighting also played a significant role in the game after extensive research. He said:
''I suppose the other example is knife fighting. So, like we really leaned into that as a new opportunity from the time period. It was a big feature of Sicilian culture generally. Knife fighting is a kind of martial art in Sicily. If you see the Sicilians do knife fighting, it's sort of elaborate, almost performative, kind of like a martial art. We adapted it into something much more like a fight for survival. Two guys really going at it. We made this system where you can use your knife. It's a good complement to your firearms, because the firearms have limited ammunition. The knife is always there, so it's got more value in the combat economy. It's an opportunity that came from the time period and this kind of culture of Sicilian knife fighting.''
The knife fights have already been shown off in numerous trailers, and Cox confirmed that they are used during key moments of the game's narrative. ''We use it a lot in the story, it's almost like a boss battle,'' he said. Mafia: The Old Country is shaping up to offer players a flavor of life in the Sicilian mafia when it launches in early August.
Mafia: The Old Country
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
