Mafia: The Old Country PS5 review – Gorgeous, Honest Throwback

In today’s industry, the trend is clear: bigger is always sold as better. Studios market endless open worlds, side‑quest checklists, and live‑service grinds that expect your eternal devotion. That’s why Mafia: The Old Country feels refreshing. From the start, Hangar 13 didn’t try to oversell it; they positioned a contained story you can actually finish.

The Mafia series has always thrived on strong, narrative‑driven settings. Mafia and Mafia II nailed the grit of cities inspired by Chicago and New York, while Mafia III shifted gears to a New Orleans-like backdrop set against the turbulence of the Vietnam era. Mafia: The Old Country continues that legacy, taking us back to the early-1900s Sicily, drenched in atmosphere at every turn. Even if it comes bundled with outdated mechanics and a cautious design that feels trapped in the past.

TL;DR

A focused, story-first return to Mafia’s roots. Early-1900s Sicily is brought to life in vivid detail, with performances that deliver a crime story straight out of cinema. The trade-off is thin interactivity and conservative design. Instant-fail stealth, telegraphed cover arenas, shallow knife duels, and “exploration” that’s mostly sightseeing. If you value mood and narrative, it delivers; if you want agency, evolving systems, or reasons to replay, it’s limited.

On the surface it looks and sounds like classic Mafia, but it often plays like an over-correction to Mafia III: a gorgeous panorama with less room to act. The best moments in Mafia: The Old Country come from slowing down and letting Sicily breathe; what’s missing is a fuller set of tools and scenarios to match the storytelling.

That choice also reflects where the series is today. After Mafia III’s rocky reception and years of shake-ups at Hangar 13, Mafia: The Old Country feels like a careful reset from a leaner, more grounded core team.

Story & World – Blood ties and old debts

Set in early 20th-century Sicily, you play as Enzo Favara, a young man worn down by back-breaking work in the sulfur mines. A sudden turn of events frees him, only to place him under the wing of the Torrisi family. Welcomed into their ranks, Enzo earns his place as a made man, carrying out the will of Don Torrisi. But the deeper Enzo sinks into the family, the more he begins to question if this is really the life he was chasing.

Enzo is a Sicilian orphan trying to carve out his place in an unforgiving, honor‑bound world. Don Torrisi, a calm yet enigmatic presence who feels instantly familiar, recognizes Enzo’s potential and brings him into the fold. From vineyard hand to trusted associate, Enzo is soon surrounded by key figures: Luca, the mentor; Cesare, the volatile nephew; and Isabella, the Don’s daughter, with whom sparks fly from the start. As Enzo is pulled deeper into the underworld, the story follows familiar mafia beats, predictable, yes, but lifted by strong characters, solid performances, and sharp writing.

Enzo’s path in Mafia: The Old Country takes him from moving crates to enforcing the family’s will, all while juggling his dangerous new life with a forbidden romance with Isabella. In his eyes, loyalty to Don Torrisi is the only way he might one day earn the right to ask for her hand. Whether that dream comes true is left for players to uncover, but the path there is compelling enough to keep you hooked.

The narrative unfolds across several years, charting Enzo’s steady rise through the Torrisi ranks as he takes on jobs that grow darker and more ruthless with each step. As expected, he becomes an essential part of the Don’s operation, while his forbidden romance with Isabella grows in the shadows.

Unlike its predecessors, which moved forward in time (Mafia III landing in the 1960s) Mafia: The Old Country rewinds the clock, pulling us back to the dawn of the 20th century. It also leaves behind the fictional American cities of past entries in favor of Sicily itself, the birthplace of the Mafia.

The cast is written with surprising depth, brought to life through motion capture and voice work that turn what could have been clichés into believable people. The result is a cinematic atmosphere that will feel instantly familiar to Mafia fans, even if it doesn’t deliver many surprises. The writing plays it safe, with twists you’ll spot long before they happen, but  it’s handled with enough care to keep you invested.

The characters may shine, but the story itself treads familiar ground especially within this franchise. There’s nothing groundbreaking, yet it remains engaging. I could see the turns coming, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride. In a linear game with little to distract you on the side, the main narrative needs to carry the weight, and here it mostly succeeds. What really sells it is the cast’s performances, amplified by animation that captures subtle micro‑expressions.

Mafia: The Old Country nails its story, performances, and visuals, but stumbles in the one area that matters most: gameplay. And unfortunately, that’s the one area a game can’t afford to compromise.

Gameplay – Rigid by design

Outside of the main objectives, there’s almost nothing to interact with. Try to push the limits of the world and it simply doesn’t react. That’s partly down to the rigid, chapter‑based structure, much like Mafia 1 and 2, one mission ends and another begins with little breathing room in between. The difference here is how stripped down it feels: no real police presence, NPCs that barely acknowledge your actions, and weapons restricted in most locations. The series has never been known for deep interactivity, but Mafia: The Old Country somehow manages to feel like a downgrade.

That same rigidity seeps into the moment‑to‑moment play. The game leans on old‑fashioned instant‑fail stealth with clumsy patrol logic. Enemies chat, then conveniently split up, leaving wide windows to pick them off one by one. If that wasn’t easy enough, Enzo now has the Assassin’s Creed treatment. Seeing through walls to tag every guard in the vicinity. It’s a regression in both realism and engagement, turning stealth into a box‑ticking exercise rather than tense problem‑solving.

Combat keeps things stripped back as well : two weapons, grenades, and the occasional throwing knife. On a controller, aiming can feel stiff and imprecise, though you could chalk some of that up to the era’s clunky firearms. (For transparency: I mostly used the Mafia: The Old Country Deluxe Edition firearms supplied with the review unit… thanks CDMedia!) Where it does shine is presentation: shots sound heavy, enemies react with real weight, and firefights kick up debris.

Major encounters often end with knife duels. Mechanically they’re simple. Block, dodge, counter, slash, thrust, break a guard, while adding a pop of variety to break up the cover shooting. Fun at first, though they feel more like brief distractions than a core system. The first duel is exactly the same as the last one.

There’s nothing wrong with linear design (Uncharted and The Last of Us prove that) but Mafia: The Old Country feels like an over-correction to Mafia III’s criticisms, dragging the gameplay back into the early 2010s. Stealth takedowns, cover shooting, the odd driving segment. They’re not bad on their own, they’re just dated. Cover placement for example is so “out there” that you can spot an incoming shootout the second you walk into an area lined with waist‑high walls.

The beautiful Sicilian backdrop ends up being just that, a backdrop. Even the so‑called Exploration Mode, which lets you wander the countryside, feels hollow. With almost nothing meaningful to interact with, it feels more like a sightseeing simulation than true exploration.

Progression is firmly in service of the story. Upgrades like skills, charms, better weapons mostly arrive via mission rewards that keep pacing tight, if a little restrictive. There’s no gunsmith to experiment with and no real vehicle customization. Difficulty stays flat, and encounters that seem fresh at first, like knife fights, never evolve.

Overall, the balance between story and gameplay is off. Out of the entire runtime, there can’t be more than four hours of genuine combat or stealth. The rest of the time you’re locked onto rails, with almost no freedom to breathe, explore, or tinker. No gunsmithing, no meaningful cops, no vehicle tuning… just a straight line from cutscene to cutscene.

Performance (PS5) – Mafia: The Old Country

I played in Performance Mode on PS5. It targets 60fps and holds it most of the time, with small dips in busy outdoor scenes or heavier shootouts. If you’ve got a 120Hz display, the Quality Mode’s 40fps option is viable for image quality, but for responsiveness the 60fps Performance Mode feels like the right call. On PS5 Pro, launch updates added VRR and 120Hz support and raised dynamic resolution in both modes, which helps smooth minor drops and sharpen the image.

Visuals & Audio — Sicily, lovingly built

Mafia: The Old Country’s biggest triumph is its setting. The Sicilian countryside and the fictional town of San Celeste are gorgeous, brought to life with remarkable attention to detail. From architecture and signage to outfits, weapons, and vehicles, everything feels meticulously crafted and true to the era.

The characters don’t just sound real, they look real. Not only are the clothing designs spot‑on, but the eyes carry depth and emotion in a way you rarely see. More than once, a look said more than the line that followed. Despite its ties to the origins of the Mafia, the setting is undeniably stunning. The Sicilian countryside feels alive on its own, with rolling hills, coastal views, and rustic stone villages that beg to be explored.

Driving is a highlight largely because the world of Mafia: The Old Country is so striking. Quiet villages, sprawling wineries, ruined castles, there’s always something worth looking at. Unfortunately, there’s little reason to leave the main path beyond a few collectibles, so it ends up more scenic tour than meaningful exploration. The linear storytelling keeps exploration heavily restricted; the world often serves as a backdrop rather than a space to engage with.

Sound design in Mafia: The Old Country complements the visuals. Ambient chatter, birdsong, and distant church bells make the spaces feel alive, while a vintage‑leaning soundtrack nails the era without overpowering scenes. Gunfire, engines, footsteps, and environmental effects land with the right texture. Paired with strong voice acting and motion capture, the presentation reaches a cinematic polish that gives Enzo’s journey real weight.

One moment that stuck with me was wandering through a meticulously crafted Italian market. The visuals and sound design made it feel alive, like a slice of real Sicily. At one point after asking a vendor for information, he told me to take a tomato with compliments to the Don, and naturally, I tried. Surely the game wouldn’t tease me like that without letting me interact? Yet it did. No tomato. It’s a small thing, but moments like this pull you right out of the immersion, reminding you that as authentic as the world looks, it’s still just set dressing.

Conclusion – Everything Except the Game Part

Mafia: The Old Country proves a good story can carry a lot, but it can’t carry everything, especially not in a video game. At its peak, Mafia: The Old Country shows Hangar 13 can rival almost anyone in atmosphere, performance, and cinematic storytelling.

The setting, the voice work, even the emotion in the characters’ eyes, on a narrative and technical level is a triumph. But that triumph is undercut by a baffling design choice: cutting out too much of the “game.” What this series needed was more purposeful play. Encounters that evolve as the stakes climb, progression that mirrors Enzo’s rise, smarter AI, and small but meaningful interactions (yes, let me grab that tomato).

As a deliberately old‑school entry, it lands where it aims. I finished it over a relaxed weekend and didn’t feel deceived; just as the shootouts and chases began to wear thin, the credits rolled. At €49.99, the value is fair. Mafia: The Old Country is at its best when it slows down and lets you soak in Sicily. But the generic gameplay and dated mission design keep it stuck in the past, like an early‑2010s relic rather than a modern release.

For fans who value story and setting above all else, this is a respectful addition that could pave the way for a bigger, bolder Mafia next time. For everyone else, the ingredients for greatness are here, everything except the game part.

Huge thanks to CD Media for providing us with the review copy!