Mafia: Definitive Edition is a tribute in style to the work of Illusions Softworks. We analyze the return of Tommy Angelo to PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Family is forever. 18 years fly by. Ever since Illusions Softworks made its great mark on The City of Lost Heaven, players have fondly cherished memories of Tommy Angelo’s misadventures. The work of the Czechs was a crude and truthful portrait of the dark 1930s. When men in raincoats enforced the law of the street, pre-World War II America bled to death for a handful of dollars.
There is something special about Mafia. Call it nostalgia, charisma, knowing that you are being a luxurious spectator to the events of the Lost Heaven families. Friends pass; loves, too. When the rifles begin to ring, the spilled blood is the same color. Choosing this model of life was the shortcut to wealth, greatness, even happiness. A delusion that you wake up from the moment you look in the mirror and see a large target painted on your forehead.
There is no going back.
The praises for Mafia: Definitive Edition won’t catch our readers by surprise. During our impressions, we said that Hangar 13 “rediscovers a classic in a way that does justice to the word remake”. That aperitif allowed us to enter the final version on notice: to immerse yourself in this definitive edition you need to buckle up. The curves of the life of the most famous taxi driver in the video game continue to offer the same level of vertiginousness.
A major remake
Mafia: Definitive Edition gains momentum after doing a retrospective exercise. Having fresh the original idea of the Czechs allows us to appreciate even more what has been achieved by its new leaders. The study has not only managed to update the graphic aspect to the current times, but it expands with total success several of the elements on which the script revolves. If you enjoyed yourself in 2002, being at the controls you are filled with a feeling of constant discovery, as well as familiar. This is the Mafia you vibrated with almost two decades ago, only to the nth degree.
Some scenes have been reordered. There are changes in the form, not the content.
In these types of projects, especially after a change of hands, the tendency is usually towards change from the creative perspective of the new owners. It occurs partly here, albeit far away in an invasive or unilaterally imposed way. Above all, it exudes affection and delicacy on the product in hand. Fortunately, the changes do not come to alter the natural balance of events, but rather their purpose is to enhance the triggers that lead Tommy, Sam and Paulie through this path of self-destruction.
Hangar 13 has reshuffled the pieces of a brilliant puzzle for the time, but with some empty holes. All the relevant events remain intact, only some of them have been arranged in a coherent way. Like Tommy’s introduction to the family. After asking the don for shelter, he offers him as his first assignment to destroy some vehicles of the rival gang, led by Morello. However, in 2020 we see an Angelo thirsty for revenge. His taxi is wrecked, he has nothing to earn his bread with. Salieri offers him the same job, and it is not until he completes it that he reaches out. “Look, Frank, this boy comes to ask permission to fight,” commented the Italian with a humorous tone.
Don Salieri is the one who pulls the strings in his family.
There’s no better triumph for developers than turning their reimagining into an interactive homage to Illusions Softworks. The icon moments remain intact, there is not a single change that is for the worse. Even the final stretch takes on a new meaning thanks to the symbolism achieved by a spectacular audiovisual direction. Any qualifier falls short.
Background, what do we find?
For many young people (and some who have gray hair), Mafia: Definitive Edition is the gateway to discovering the particular The Godfather in video game format. Newcomers should know what kind of game they have in their hands. Although it may seem like the typical open world of a traditional cut, it is not at all. We are facing a narrative adventure that combines action in the third person with a semi-free movement, that is, we have the city of Lost Heaven at our complete disposal, but we will not find any secondary element that deviates us from the rhythm imposed by the script.
You have the freedom to move around Lost Heaven.
That classic adventure pattern has been repeated in the two subsequent installments, even after the third’s embrace of a sandbox close to the times. Already in 2002 there was a push towards the path of the first steps of the 3D genre. What, perhaps, was a technological or design limitation, became by its own weight a hallmark. Identity built on a series of components that allow him to create that experience that we can only find in him.
We refer to driving, for example. The rough handling of the cars of the 30’s carries over to perfection. They are chassis that accelerate on thin wheels and create that characteristic gliding effect. Given its weight, even the roll when turning is well reflected. They are not cars that respond artificially, quite the opposite: there is a great variety of behaviors depending on their performance, which we can know from the family garage.
The shooting sections are based on the exchange of shots from coverage.
On the other hand, the same happens in the way in which the gunplay unfolds. Angelo is far from having the ability of a marine. He is an ordinary person with a gun in his hand: his pulse trembles, he errs in moments of greater tension. The shootings are a violent exchange of lead, which does not skimp on showing how our rivals lose the thread of life. The armament, scarce, leads us to the weapons that accompany the gangster’s imaginary. Sliding shotgun, M1911 pistol, the famous Thompson submachine gun (known as Tommy Gun), among others. Of course, its behavior is very marked among the models, which leads us to constantly change on the fly.
Update
Much of the sensations it conveys in playable terms are similar to those found in Mafia 3. It’s natural. The definitive edition has been built based on an updated version of the engine that they used to build the adventure in New Bordeaux, including in the animations. You can expect the same forcefulness that characterized their fights, both with a gun in hand and when we are behind the wheel.
You can choose between two driving modes: normal and simulation.
It is the only parallel Tommy shares with Lincoln Clay. Even in the healthcare system, Mafia: Definitive Edition breaks the mores of the modern mainstream. The medicine cabinets and the classic health bar are back, which even on normal difficulty does not regenerate in sections, only a percentage enough to withstand another impact. We will usually find the health boxes scattered around the combat sections, although in high difficulties, especially in classic, you must manage your movements very well. It happened in the original.
Accessibility options remain present to fine-tune what kind of Mafia you want to live in. Beyond the difficulty, you can change the response of the police, the driving mode (simulation is present, as in Mafia 3), the transmission of the vehicles and various camera options. You can also select the possibility of skipping the inconsequential trips, but we do not recommend it: you want to walk through this Lost Heaven.
The recreation of Lost Heaven invites you to stroll through its streets.
Once you complete the 20 main chapters, which will take approximately 14 hours (depending on the difficulty), you can jump into free mode. In it you will have the entire city at your free will, without objectives and goals. It is an ideal way to gather the remaining collectibles, the only optional task that you will find, among some surprises that we prefer not to reveal. If you are a car lover, in the main menu you can access a gallery of all those who have driven around the city thanks to the carpedia.
The variety of situations remains intact.
Within this update there are certain aspects that continue to roll even today. The high number of vehicle chases, or the abrupt way in which some chapters end, are an inheritance from which they cannot flee. After the trailer, we expected characters like Sarah to take more prominence; his rare appearances complement Tommy. We would have liked the time jumps to be accompanied by a greater presence.
Every image counts
The direction of the video sequences in Mafia: Definitive Edition manages to bring nuances that we cannot find in the original. There are a multitude of shots that reveal more through silences than through words. It portrays some humanized characters, on the tightrope of morality. Honor stands aside when the rope tightens around the neck. Certain characters gain a lot of strength.
The direction of the scenes is very good.
Like the first meetings of the Don Salieri family. The gift gives Tommy a chance to earn a living under his umbrella. He never directly reveals his doubts, or the mistrust that a newcomer is supposed to be. This prudence in the chain of command is distinguished by a grimace, by a frown. And so on constantly. Even in the relationship between Sam, Paulie, and Tommy, disapproval of certain events occurs silently.
That strength, again, is achieved with a careful direction and production to the extreme. We once again insist on the conclusion: The Death of Art. It takes on a new nuance impossible to extract in the delivery on which they have worked. The insecurity of an ambitious man like Sam, or the unscrupulous loyalty of Paulie, in front of an Angelo who avoids pulling the trigger in front of those who are not involved with this game of adults.
Family is forever.
Also helps a version in Castilian at the height of the improvements of the remake. The actors who lend their voices to characters like Sam or Tommy are the same ones who did the same in the original. Lip syncing is at a very high level, it helps to create a credible image of what is happening on screen. Few buts can we get out of it in this regard.
The version that we have had access to corresponds to Xbox One X. The graphic aspect is significantly superior to that of Mafia 3 with the improvements in the Microsoft console. Especially the modeling ones, which are at a high level. The play of lighting and reflections are the highlight in the visual. There are no severe performance problems; yes some bugs, like overlapping textures. Nothing relevant.
We have performed this Reviews on an Xbox One X through a digital copy supplied by 2K Games.
CONCLUSION
Mafia: Definitive Edition is a massive remake. Hangar 13 has known how to treat with affection and respect a work that was etched in the retina for many who lived it in the early 2000s. The studio has not only respected the script, but has also reordered certain elements. The motivations that carry Tommy throughout the 1930s are even stronger here. It feels like a much more natural adventure, consistent with the consequences of each event. The audiovisual muscle is preceded by a quality direction. Each shot speaks beyond what it shows. It is worth highlighting an equally careful Castilian version, in which some actors once again lend their voices to the characters who gave life 18 years ago. In conclusion, this definitive edition is a perfect opportunity to discover or recall the myth of Illusions Softworks.
THE BEST
- Hangar 13’s respect and affection for the work of Illusions Softworks.
- Changes that enhance the script and fill in the gaps.
- The version in Spanish, very careful.
- Maintains the playable identity: tough driving and forceful shooting.
- 18 years later it continues to impact.
WORST
- Some sections of vehicle chase, inheritance from the original.
- Certain characters could have taken on more prominence.
Excellent
A benchmark title of its kind, which stands out above its competitors and that you will enjoy from start to finish, probably several times. A game destined to become a classic over the years.
