Mafia 3 is a bold, ambitious take on the classic revenge tale that attempts to weave unexplored topics in video game form.
Mafia 3
Developer: Hangar 13
Price: 59.99 USD
Platform: Playstation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, PC
Set in a 1968 fictional New Bordeaux, Lincoln Clay, a biracial orphan and Vietnam War veteran comes home to a violent homecoming and a betrayal that sets into action the rest of the game. The opening chapters are very well executed in introducing players to the story and its pivotal characters. Layering all of this are the documentary-style flash forwards that encompass the narrative and serves as a nice flashy cinematic nod.
The Mafia series is known for its world building and attention to detail as its pillars and the third iteration proves no different. Racially profiling police zones, segregated stores and a recurring story on the car radio help immerse the player into the circumstances for minorities, specifically African Americans, during this time period. Hangar 13 places these themes in the forefront with its gameplay. The level of detail is furthered by the amazing musical selection and pastel colored aesthetic. Having grown up listening to oldies like “Fortunate Son,” “Paint in Black,” it resonated with me. Even the little things such as Lincoln whistling while casually stalking through the world is totally unnecessary but awesome to have.
With the opening hours of Mafia 3 being tightly controlled and linear, the actual meat and bones of the game focuses on controlling districts and performing micro level actions to unlock new story missions. In a reverse from the previous game, New Bordeaux’s open world serves as a utility rather than a backdrop. This is where the game loses focus, as you are essentially performing similar objectives in each district that involve either killing someone or causing damage. While it was great to go through a hideout location and interrogate someone, doing it for the 5th time wasn’t all that thrilling. While your mileage may vary, the repetitive nature of completing checklists is something I’ve come to dislike in this genre and it’s disappointing that Mafia 3’s direction pivoted to this cookie cutter template. It is also unfortunate as it negatively impacts the storytelling, as it locks behind the great set piece moments of Mafia 3 behind a slow, prodding grind.
The impact I felt in the switch to open world was the execution of the underboss and perk system. As you assign rackets and eventually an entire district to an underboss in Thomas Burke, Cassandra, and Vito Scaletta, the sit down moments where this occurs is nerve wracking. If you show favoritism and neglect an underboss, they’ll eventually defect and need to be eliminated. The perks also reinforces this system, as the amount of income gained through assigning rackets to a particular person unlocks further rewards such as a longer window for calling off police zones or increased health and stamina. Eventually I ended up giving more of my districts to Vito since I liked routinely calling in a hit squad for backup in tight situations and his perks in particular bolstered that aspect.
Traversing through New Bordeaux, the moments where gameplay shines is in its effective gunplay. Popping off headshots and using the arsenal of weapons available, whether it is a silenced pistol or an automatic rifle, is memorable thanks to the realistic sound design and mixing. On the receiving end, the enemies mainly serve as bullet fodder due to the incredibly dumb AI. This is amplified in the stealth portions where you can easily elude foes or take out enemies with ease. Another annoyance with this are the random crashes and bugs that occurred in my playthrough. In one instance while I was escaping the police zone, the game locked up and sent me to an error screen requiring me to restart the mission again.
The Final Word
Mafia 3 takes bold strides in tackling subject matter deemed too risky for a big budget video game release. By weaving history and a biracial lead, Hangar 13 succeeds in delivering a compelling narrative with set pieces that resonate as one of the best this year. It’s just unfortunate these great moments are regularly plagued by its execution – the repetitive open world design, clueless AI and technical issues all of which drag down the overall experience.
– MonsterVine Review Score: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
