The choice of 2K Games not to provide copies to the press prior to the official release of Mafia III set off numerous alarm bells, which made thousands of fans fear the worst. Will these fears be well founded? The future of the iconic saga born in 2002 with an authentic masterpiece is now in the hands of hangar 13, who has on his side the possibility of scoring a real bang. After a lavish media campaign the title made its appearance on October 7th on PC, PlayStation 4 ed Xbox One. The legacy of Lost Heaven and Empire Bay is therefore left to the multiethnic society of the southern United States, in a varied New Bordeaux (videogame counterpart of the real New Orleans). Unlike the passage from the first title to the second, where the only connection is the murder of a now elderly Thomas Angelo, in Mafia III we will also find and do business with the hero of the previous title, Vito Scaletta. Another important change from its predecessors is a more "open world" style of play: even if guided by a linear plot, after the full-bodied prologue you can take your space and run around freely whenever you need. Are you ready to take a dip in the sixties?
Without pixels on the tongue
Before moving on to the game, it is very important to dwell on the meaning and on the themes dealt with in Mafia III. Like no title before it, the work of Hangar 13 confronts us with what was the American racist society during the sixties. With such a background it is impossible not to fall into misunderstandings ... and the thing is so clear that the development studio itself began with an explanatory sentence, stating that the topics covered simply serve to describe what the life of black people really was in those years, and above all that the team neither shares nor will never share racist behaviors like those exposed in the title. Horrible comments about black people and statements from some of the characters will be just the appetizer. The message is strong, and it comes as clear as a punch in the stomach. The split will feel strong even in the game, where the various radios available will not only listen to music as in the previous title, but there will be real parts commented by the radio speakers, and very often the topic will be precisely the race wars.
All Along the Watchtower
Chills. This is the first word that comes to mind. If there is one thing in which Mafia III succeeds without flaws, it is to give a first impact (and mind you, I stress "first") capable of giving goosebumps. After an installation of about 20 minutes on the console PS4, we were shot in the face of the initial screen of the game, with a splendid glimpse of the city in the background, and the masterpiece mentioned in the title of this paragraph as background music, in the version of a certain Jimi Hendrix. Excited like a child, the first hour of the game flies away between a management of the plot by applause, alternating video phases where John Donovan (who you will find out later who he is) is questioned in court and other characters are interviewed, with phases played by ourselves complete with flashbacks. In short, the background of New Bordeaux and Lincoln Clay is told to us in an unexpected way, but above all pleasant and with a perfect script.. The apotheosis comes when the main scene that will kick off the actual plot, also presents itself unexpected (or almost) and at a frenzied pace, with the musical company of Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones. If we had stopped here, probably the vote of the game would have bordered on 10 ... but unfortunately the level of experience is destined to gradually decrease, and going down to the bottom of the white rabbit hole we arrive at the verdict at the bottom, which surely you have already anticipated.
On the road again
Without spoiling the main events of Mafia III, know that our actions from this moment on will be driven by the desire for revenge, a long and dangerous journey that will seriously endanger the life of our Lincoln Clay. Let's take a step back: Lincoln is a black guy who did more than survive the ruthless war in Vietnam, that is, he developed skills that made him silent, resilient, lethal. Although he is a real war machine, Lincoln is not a fool, and he will do his actions in a logical order to dismantle the rackets and business of all the districts of New Bordeaux piece by piece and rebuild them accordingly under his own. command. The reason? This too would be spoilers. Obviously it would not be possible to achieve this goal alone, and it is for this reason that progressing will make numerous allies, starting with the aforementioned John Donovan: his friend and former comrade, as well as a former CIA agent.
As already mentioned, the various main missions will be activated by ourselves, and as a result, between one mission and another we will be able to dedicate ourselves to something else, which are side missions, collection of collectibles (very appreciable, such as vinyl covers, the classic Playboy magazines, and many others), and the installation of some bugs to keep certain areas of the districts under control. Doesn't that seem enough? Because in fact it is not really a lot, but we will talk about this later ... Even if what little there is is definitely satisfying, like roaming free in the city listening to the radio and collecting the various objects (which will be kindly marked on the map, they will remain there after installing the chips on the cabins), there is not much more we can do. The same secondary missions assigned to us by the subordinates will be more or less similar to the main ones, and were it not for the variety of locations proposed and the interiors of the buildings themselves, the sense of repetition would be even greater. In terms of experience, therefore, this is the most serious lack of Mafia III: after a first hour of an Oscar-winning game, the pace drops decisively, and even if the video sequences remain at a very high level of narration, the interludes of missions and phases open world go to break the cinematic rhythm of the screenplay praised just now. Breaking a lance in favor, however, we realized that in some cases these considerations were suggested by too much "haste", since exploring some of the game areas well, we realize that we could have approached the current mission with another look, perhaps less aggressive, and halving the risk (I found a couple of shortcuts wandering in some areas just finished the mission, when it was no longer needed ...). Is the game repetitive, or are we too lazy? I leave you with the benefit of the doubt.
Blood and blues
Now let's talk about the gameplay choices that concern the actual action: with a background like Lincoln's, it is clear that we will have the most complete freedom, with the possibility of choosing to act as a silent killer staining only our military knife with blood, or to break down the door in full Rambo style without fear of anyone (and with the ensuing consequences). Whatever your choice, the constant will be the massacre: Mafia III is a strong title in the themes, and he does not spare himself even for the part played, where blood masks will appear hitting enemies in the face, and where we will be able to kill our opponents in the most brutal ways that the human mind is able to give birth. The shooting phases are well done, with an excellent exploitation of objects and walls as cover, and with enemies who will often try to go around them to catch you from behind. In these phases, especially at a difficult level, the challenge turns out to be interesting. We have two types of weapons available, pistols and heavy weapons, such as sniper rifles for long distances or the shotgun for close-range executions. The stealth phases, on the other hand, are characterized by the classic silent movement while crouching, and with the covers to avoid being found. A white token will indicate if the enemies are suspicious, and at the bottom right (where the indicator of our health will also be present) will indicate if the enemies are just looking for us, or if they have discovered us and are engaging a combat phase. Be careful not to alert the sentries! In fact, these will call for reinforcements who will arrive more aggressive than ever. If we have not yet been discovered, we can whistle to lure them towards us (or divide them, if there are more than one), and consequently take them by surprise and carry out silent kills from the cover. This mechanic is not very well done, because unlike the shooting phases, the AI is deficient, where often we will not be seen while we will tear apart a poor victim under the eyes of other henchmen. Summing up, AI has a double face, and also quite controversial, alternating decidedly satisfying phases with facepalm phases. Death is never a good thing, but it will be different between main and secondary missions: in the story missions, if we die we will have to start from the last activated checkpoint, while in minor missions we will be transported to the nearest safe haven (such as the racketeering locations under our control) and half of the money in our wallet will be stolen.
Money, yes… the engine of the world, even in Mafia III: it is to avoid huge losses in this way, that we will have to keep it safe at all costs. To do this we will have a safe located in the Hollow, in the cellar of the old room that is our home. If we are too far from there, once unlocked we can call with the appropriate icon on the weapon selection. These "quick calls" will also be useful for other requests, such as having a vehicle rushed without looking for or stealing it, calling the arms dealer, or having us do some special favors during the mission. The money will also be accumulated in the offices of the various businesses we have taken over, and we will be able to withdraw it from the direct area managers. Our income will also depend on some of the choices we made during the conquest, such as having spared or not some of the key men in the neighborhood, as informants and so on. Also particularly welcome is the role that ordinary people will have in the game: no longer mere background spectators with some buzz dubbed here and there, but loose mines ready to call the police when we do something “not legal”.
Original sin
The biggest bitterness born from the gaming experience in Mafia III unfortunately comes from a technical realization that is only half good, where some ingenious ideas have been realized in an approximate way, perhaps to speed up times or for a budget not quite up to par for such an ambitious project. The graphics engine fails to perform at its best, such as in lighting effects and reflections. The problems we encountered are varied, and the numerous bugs we ran into in these ample hours of play do not help either, as well as the errors of interpenetration in the bushes, or in the doors of the cars. The loading times after each death are close to the timing of the pre-patch Bloodborne, and the level of graphics and textures offered in the game is certainly not the cause ... to the wise a few words. Do you know what it feels like to run at full speed against a large bush and impact it as if it were a brick wall? You will find out soon. Another factor that takes away grace from the beautifully crafted New Bordeaux, it is the “popup” effect (objects that cannot be seen from afar, and magically appear by walking a few meters more) of some parts of the vegetation in the dirt areas, such as tufts of grass. More seriously, the bugs didn't just show up in the individual Lincoln-related episodes (and we mention some location bugs as we interrogate an informant), but also in the missions themselves: we happened to go to a point marked by an active secondary mission ... but where there is absolutely nothing. We hope that this problem is an isolated case, and that it will be fixed as soon as possible with a patch. Speaking of the good part, I mark people's "physical" responses with a hallelujah: for example, if you bump into a lady sitting on a chair while you are running on foot, the chair will fall and the lady will hit the ground, and equally coherent answers are given in numerous other cases.
There is a house in New Bordeaux…
The time has finally come to talk about the objectively best part of Mafia III, that is the artistic part. I have rarely come across a title capable of portray the real society of any era in such a way, and above all that it does not hide the rottenness behind it. The choices made by Hangar 13 portray brushstroke after brushstroke the painting of the New Orleans of the 60s, managing to season everything with an exceptional soundtrack. The latter not only features tracks created specifically for the game and already become a symbol, but there are also real artistic masterpieces of the time in their original forms! "They are all good at putting beautiful songs on game radios", not even for an idea: as in the previous chapters, the tracks are taken from the historical period described, but with the difference that they were also used in the video sequences to emphasize the key moments of the plot (like Paint it Balck, which we talked about in the incipit). We will range from the blues of gods Canned heat with their On the Road Again, to the sincere rock of Animals with The House of The Rising Sun, the American voice par excellence of Johnny Cash, as well as dozens of other historical masterpieces.
It is necessary to talk about the incredible difference in quality that occurs between the graphics of the parts played, and between the videos: in these the graphics are clearly on another level, where the facial expressions, the details of the skin and much more are in step with the times and made worthily. The empathy created by a similar care, combined with the theme and the "interview style" of the videos, they raise the bar of the vote dedicated to the graphics sector of Mafia III a little bit. Closely connected to all this is the dubbing, which has a very respectable cast and is qualitatively of excellent workmanship. The sync accuracy of the videos is also great, but we can't say the same about in-game voiceovers, which have some slight imperfections. Furthermore, there are situations in which the dubbing sins with comic lightness: you know when you threaten informants with a knife to the throat to make them talk? At least half of them will respond with a clean, quiet voice as if they are having a coffee. It is probably due to some errors of interpretation by the dubbers themselves, or some lack of descriptions in the dubbing room.
Pre-conclusion
After these lengthy analyzes, I want to spend a few words before moving on to the actual verdict, and which will justify the choices made for the votes assigned. Many could define Mafia III as a game where the open world is a useless addition, where nothing new is added compared to the old titles, and where above all in addition to the various missions and collectibles there is nothing concrete to do . My question is: in the sixties, in a Mafia game, what else did you want to do? We are not talking about a Grand Theft Auto (although Mafia III tries hard to look like it), and consequently it is not set in the present day, which is why we cannot expect to have areas dedicated to paragliding or huge golf courses to do " other". It is a mafia war, with the historical background of a racial war, and I think this is enough to close the circle. On the other hand, the choice of wanting to extend the saga to the open world has done nothing but fragment the plot and make it lose the poetic and frenzied rhythm it had in the first hour of play. Probably a middle ground between the two would have been the perfect combination to have an authentic masterpiece in your hands (assuming that the technical sector had been up to it). So I don't feel like condemning 2K and Hangar 13 for having had courage and for trying to offer something new for a saga that, if it had proposed a title too similar to the previous ones, would have been demonized for the opposite reasons. Could you then define a title so full of arguments a heretic, and with an egregious characterization of the characters? So here is our final verdict.
