The game awards this time around had revealed a bunch of titles that are set to come out either next year or early 2026, we all know the big reveal being Elden Ring Nightreign but another notable big reveal was Mafia: The Old Country. It is set to come out in the summer of 2025 and this time we’ll be going back to 1900s Sicily this time around.
The Beautiful And Vibrant Sicily
As mentioned before the setting is for 1900s Sicily, where the origins of a Mafia had originated as the region had shifted to capitalism from feudalism during that time. This could most likely be a prequel to the Mafia games we’ve come to know love from 2K games or it could be a separate story that loosely explains how the Mafia made its way to America.
The trailer showcased multiple scenes of the countryside of Sicily with mountainous regions and gun fights taking place in ruins of certain areas. At the same time there are frames showcasing shipping ports so the story could take place over some time where our character travels from the countryside to a town or a city.
Our protagonist this time is Enzo Favara who is trying to climb the ranks of the Mafia so that he can rise up too and maybe even become the boss of one. It will be interesting to see how the missions will be structured this time around as in the previous mafia games, whatever city we were in would function as the backdrop but here we are in the countryside with wide open areas and hills as the backdrop.
Trying To Make It Historically Accurate
The game’s director, Alex Cox had chosen this time period over what would’ve been the 1970s or 80s. Explaining that he and the team had discussed it would be amazing to learn and explore the origins of the Mafia rather than going forward in time.
It has also been a refreshing departure from the usual city landscapes and shootouts with cars to horseback riding and countryside views and environments. Cox went on to state that in order to recreate everything as closely as possible they were talking and taking the guidance of history experts who specialized in that time period.
Other than taking notes on the general setting of Sicily in the 1900s they also took to trying to recreate weapons such as lupara shotguns, signature stiletto knives and period accurate clothing to make sure that every detail of the game is as accurate as possible.
Just Gorgeous Sceneries And Characters
We also got a sneak peak in the graphics as footage from the trailer were in-game cutscenes that were showcased, the characters models look amazing and have the quality and detail we’ve come to expect from Hanger13 due to their Mafia 1 remake. The action packed scenes looked so detailed and lively, Hanger13 has been improving the already detailed and impressive graphics of Mafia 1 remake.
No doubt this change of setting has given Hanger13 some freedom in creating a worthwhile story with the beautiful countryside as the backdrop to the story they have got planned. How will Enzo make his way from the countryside and take on rival Mafia gangs or authorities in the city? Will this connect the story of Mafia 1? We will have to wait until summer of next year to see.
A Worthwhile Wait
While Mafia 3 was an extremely disappointing and forgettable experience Hanger13 had bounced back in the spotlight when they released Mafia: Definitive Edition which was a full remake of their original Mafia title from 2002. It seems Mafia: The Old Country will follow cinematics that were featured in the remake from 2020.
Hopefully Hanger13 is realizing with firestorms that Ubisoft, Sony and Rocksteady is going through that players would drop everything to experience games with character driven experiences over the grind and live service slop any day.
Mafia 1 and 2 remain one of the greatest games ever to be released by the industry’s standards, Hanger13 have a chance to put Mafia: The Old Country on the ranks as well. While this year has mostly been spent by executives not understanding why their godforsaken live service idea ruined their wallets, hopefully they’ll understand by next year that nothing beats releasing masterfully crafted, creative storylines like the days of old.
