Mafia Definitive edition Review PC

Released all the way in 2002, the original mafia has become increasingly difficult to go back to over the years. It's clunky, doesn't look great, and has annoying quirks. A complete remake just released today, Mafia Definitive Edition is a handy way to go back and experience what is still a good (if not new) story of crime, loyalty, trust and respect.

The story In Mafia you take on the role of Tommy, a taxi driver who works in the big city of Lost Heaven (stop laughing) who gets involved with the mafia and eventually rises to the top. All of this is told through flashbacks, the main framing device of which is an elderly Tommy talking to a detective about his life and all the crimes he has committed and witnessed. The writing has improved and the actors are great, but the overall plot and missions remain the same. This is great for me, because my crappy PC made playing the original mafia a chore at the time. But for people who have played it multiple times, this remake may feel a bit too old and familiar.

No matter how familiar you are with the original game, this new take on mafia is visually striking. When I played on PS4 Pro I was impressed with how much detail there is in the world. Buildings have tons of old signage, cars have shiny metal doors, streets are cracked and covered in dirt, and faces are beautifully animated. Since developer Hangar 13 used the Mafia III engine for this remake, and that game could look really nice, I shouldn't be too surprised by how good Definitive Edition looks. Still, it feels like Hangar 13 has significantly improved the game's lighting, making everything look fantastic.

Another plus of using the Mafia III engine is that both driving and running around the world feel less stiff than in the original game. Driving a car in particular feels tough and fun. Hitting a big old taxi around a sharp corner is satisfying because it's so easy to screw it up and hit a wall or a nearby car. Running around and shooting in this new remake isn't that much fun, but it works fine. Mafia III wasn't a remarkable third-person shooter, and neither was this remake, but I was never frustrated with poor handling or sloppy action. Instead, I wish the combat was a bit more going on, especially melee combat, which is incredibly easy and not a lot of fun.

The gameplay If you do pick up this remake, I highly recommend messing around with the gameplay settings, which will allow you to re-enable some of the classic quirks from the original game. For example, in the first mafia game, the police would stop you if you are speeding or driving through a red light. Fortunately, for those who don't want to deal with that, the annoying agents are turned off by default. You can also control how heavy cars feel, the way they handle ammo, and other parts of the gameplay to make this remake feel more like the original game, or more like a modern game.

Another thing to keep in mind about this remake is that Mafia was never a classic open world, nor is it anything like modern. Today's open world games like Mafia III or GTA V include tons of side missions, properties to buy, land to acquire, stats to upgrade, etc. The original Mafia (and Mafia II too) didn't have this stuff. Sure, you can drive around the world freely on some missions, but there's nothing to do other than find some newly added collectibles. Some might argue that this is a waste of such a very detailed and well-designed open world map, but I'm glad I'm playing a game that doesn't take 50 hours to complete. You can probably take out Mafia Definitive Edition in less than 12 hours, maybe less if you're a better driver than me.

The conclusion Mafia Definitive edition is a very fun game, highly recommended. It only costs 40 euros, offers a lot of fun as it is an open world sandbox game where you can kill, drive the police crazy, race through the city. There is so much to do. Nice thing is that in free ride mode you can also do a lot of missions and unlock more and more cars and skins. We therefore give this game an 8.5