PlayStation 4 version tests on PlayStation 5.
In 2002 France was miserably excluded from the FIFA World Cup jointly organized by South Korea and Japan. Thousands of miles from the event, in the Czech Republic, the developers at Illusion Softworks were in the process of improving their game (much more so than Robert) to put the finishing touches to the Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. The title, a high quality open world action game, has shaped the genre. When a remake of 2K Games is brought to us 18 years later, we plunge back into the adventure with interest and excitement. Has Hangar 13 succeeded or do we need to get rid of the development team in a dark alley? Just answer below.
It’s good it’s Tommy!
The player is therefore immediately immersed in the skin of Tommy Angelo. The latter, a simple taxi driver with a daily routine, will turn his life upside down when Paulie and Sam, two local mafiosi, get into his taxi to escape a rival gang. Usually honest, our good old Tommy won’t resist the call of adrenaline and will therefore join Don Salieri’s family who rule part of the City of Lost Heaven. You can imagine that from there we will follow our character’s insane rise within the Mafia.
During the ten hours it takes to complete the adventure, the missions will lead us to commit all kinds of illegal acts. Sabotage cars, participate in the alcohol trade in the middle of the ban, silence prostitutes, collect money from enemies and of course get rid of them. One of the game’s strengths is undoubtedly storytelling. The staging is very good and the title portrays the gangs of the 1930s with realism, between mutual respect and necessary betrayal. The first half of the game puts us in the middle with missions that are enchanted at a good pace. And the second half of the game is a real boost to the final climax. It’s difficult for both the player and Tommy to get out.
I am rital and play the rest!
Especially since the quality of the writing, the game shines with its atmosphere, which is worthy of the best films of the genre. The great American city of the 1930s makes an interesting setting, and while Lost Heaven is fictional, it’s difficult not to see the features of North American industrial cities like Chicago or Detroit. The various dialogues between characters and the news that can be heard on the radio reinforce the immersion in reality. The game spans a period from 1930 to 1938, for example you can hear about the Great Depression in the first part of the adventure, but also about the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany towards the end of the game. Everg.
Especially since this remake uses the double-mouths-level graphics. I tested the PS4 version of the game, but on PS5 and yes, Mafia: Definitive Edition is beautiful. The reflections are downright sublime, in fact, so sometimes you can take the time to turn around your car to admire the bodywork, or even tilt your head to watch a puddle of water. The developers were probably so aware of the quality of their work on reflections (and lighting) that there are puddles of water all over town … even when the weather is lovely! But hey, I’m arguing. The different models are convincing and the facial expressions are so detailed that the narrative cutscenes captivate us. We’re still a good cut under the bat in The Last of Us II, but we’re clearly on a lower budget, so nothing out of the ordinary. The textures oscillate between the right and the very good.
On the other hand, the character animations are a bit below the current references. Nothing really bad, but we feel a certain rigidity during the various movements. Conversely, the handling of the vehicles is really interesting. You can feel their weight and I personally enjoyed riding the cars and motorcycles available.
An old world
Since the first Mafia was released in 2002, the video game has taken an important turn towards the open world. There are now a large number of titles that take place in an open or semi-open world. In these, almost every square meter, there is the possibility to carry out a new quest, receive an item or simply chat with an NPC. If you are a young gamer, you have undoubtedly always known the open world as it is. The results are very different here.
Mafia tells a story in an open world, but without a page. Specifically, you are moving from point A to point B to carry out a mission. You can make detours to get there, but you have nothing else to do elsewhere. Is it a bad thing Some players will say this without hesitation. For my part, I take this mafia as an immersive, rhythmic action game that focuses on the essentials. There are so many GTA-like ones out there already that this return to basics is good: no fillings, no loot boxes, and no unnecessary ex-quests. So yes, 10 hours of playing time may seem short, but the title came to 39 dollars, so nothing to make the scandal cry.
As I said before, the hours are also well filled with many car chases in the streets of Lost Heaven, quite successful infiltration phases and shovel shootings. These are realistic and unadorned: the player can take cover, shoot down a can of gasoline to explode, or run into a pile (I don’t recommend it). But the feel of the guns back then is good and the fact that the headshots are fatal adds to the realism. In short, I don’t know if it’s age that makes me say this, but I really liked this simple and effective aspect. Small apartment, however, for the AI, especially the police. The police are too easy to sow and break off the search as quickly as Usain Bolt walks 100 yards.
Judgment: 8/10
With this remake of the cult mafia, Hangar 13 clearly didn’t make fun of us. The writing, the quality of the dubbing, the general atmosphere, and the solid graphic design make this Definitive Edition a fascinating adventure that easily keeps us going. The missions are enchanted and, on the contrary, the pace does not decrease. By staying as close as possible to the course of the original game, the developers are giving us an open world that is just a framework for the adventure, not its cornerstone. If some players can be traced back to this aspect and the apparent simplicity of the gameplay, others like me will easily come to terms with it and then be able to fully enjoy this dark mid-1930s story. A great success that it would be a shame not to try, especially since the game now easily costs around twenty dollars.
