I recently finished Mafia III for the third time.

It was one of the first games I got when I upgraded to the eighth console generation and I played it non-stop, leaving other newer games by the wayside just to come back to this one again and again.

But even after my first playthrough, I was certain this is among my favourite games EVER, easily eclipsing Mafia II, the golden child of the series.

So I thought a little breakdown about the points that hooked me into staying in New Bordeaux for much longer than I would ever imagine…

“We are a cruel and wicked people”– Why I love Mafia III

1. The Story and Characters.

The Mafia series prides itself on its narrative and Mafia III matches the same levels as the first two games.

Telling the story of bi-racial orphan and Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay, the narrative is told in a documentary flashback format. Characters interviews are matched with historical photos and records, matching the previous games’ structure but with a slight twist.

The interviews feed into the game structure, introducing the stage and the stakes for the moment, while also growing the larger overarching story. Despite having this linear structure the multiple endings all fit the character depending on the player’s reading of Lincoln.

I was surprised we didn’t start in Vietnam, similar to Mafia II starting in WW2 Italy, but that only added to our lead, leaving us open to interpret Lincoln actions in Vietnam from his and comrade Donovan’s stories.

The story is beautifully realised with several standout characters. We have the three main bosses, Burke, Cassandra, and Vito, each with their own unique quirks. Vito is especially interesting; it’s fun to see a once playable character from the other side (again), where his simple layers in Mafia II become greyer with age and antagonism.

The second-in-commands too are well defined and have some interesting layers to them, making them more than cardboard cut outs that sometimes arrive with games as big as this. Emmanuel, the once refugee-saver reduced to dope peddling, Alma, the businesswoman not afraid to use feminine charms for her own gain, and Nicki, a woman struggling with her sexuality in a time and place that does not care for it, they all add something to the game, all through optional dialogue.

But highest praise must go to Alex Hernandez for his portrayal of Lincoln Clay. Convincingly switching from cocky and confident to anger and anxiety, balancing between light and dark, he is truly an asset to the game.

_{Mafia III‘s cast of characters are some of the best of the series (Source: mafiagame.fandom.com)}

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2. The Missions

One of the main criticisms of Mafia III is its mission structure. Instead of the linear chapter progression, the game centers itself around taking down members of the Marcano crime family one district at a time.

Once you talk to a contact in the district you have several tasks dealt out to you, but these always follow the same path; kill some people, interrogate a member of the crime family, or destroy their shipments. Once done then you can take over the rackets in that area before going after the main controller of the area.

This is just going to be one of those cases where I find enjoyment that others don’t. I think it might be because I really enjoyed the driving and combat (more on that later) so I had fun being given new scenarios lasting a few minutes to make my way through.

Hangar 13 said their approach to the missions, at least side missions, was “Lincoln doesn’t go fishing”. Essentially, this means the mission must make sense for the character to do. Each one; drug deliveries, truck theft, rum-running, slowly adds to Lincoln’s growing empire, and feels fitting to the character and location.

The Marcano Capo missions are the standouts of the game though. Each one is set in a completely unique scenario; a shootout on a sinking steamboat, sneaking into a drug-fuelled whites-only party, breaking up a KKK-inspired cross burning, the list goes on and on, all soundtracked by classics such as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presely, and Janis Joplin.

_{With missions in saunas, casinos, supremacist rallies, burlesque houses and drug dens, Mafia III has memorable places for action sequences. (Source: geforce.com)}

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3. The Combat

I can’t actually remember how long it’s been to have a combat system this satisfying, but it was probably at least back on the PlayStation 2 (I’m going to have a wild guess and say 007: Everything Or Nothing). Lincoln’s backstory is that he is a member of the special forces in Vietnam, and he brings all of the tactics back home to use against the Mafia.

It’s your standard shooting, melee, and stealth tri-factor, but each one is done so well. The gunplay feels responsive and sounds solid, with a vast array of weapons to choose from.

At the start I was on-the-fly, picking up weapons due to limited ammo. Then I specialized in a short and long range advantages, before coming round to silenced pistol and assault weapons for an action/stealth combination. It’s the perfect distillation of Hangar 13’s motto, “Every player’s story is unique”, and can be seen in the multiple approaches to combat as well as hidden pathways through the missions.

The animations in combat are a nice detail. With lovely smooth transitions from running (where Lincoln holds the gun one handed), to aiming, to the short sidestep when starting to move again, the little points make the game feel rich and you can see the artistry on display.

Melee is also great, whether silently stalking enemies through the alleyways and streets, or throwing caution to the wind with American Football-style takedowns and running stomps. The best forms have to be the gun executions, with Lincoln doing point-shooting on knees and headshots, or pinning someone down and using a Tommy Gun like a baseball bat.

Only in a handful of games have I audibly “oohhhed” at the brutality of combat, and Mafia III’s is poetry in motion.

_{The feeling of combat is one of the better from an open world game, and has several variables and the opportunity to customise. (Source: geforce.com)}

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4. The Open World and Travel

The world of New Bordeaux is a lovely city to drive around in. Lincoln’s signature vehicle is a classic, wheel-spinning, fire- spitting muscle car, and sliding across three lanes of traffic or doing 180-handbrake turns are easy to pull off and create that sense of spectacle and wonder we ant when driving in games. Hangar 13 eventually patched in street racing events, which get to showcase both the incredible cars but also the city.

As usual in Mafia games the setting is an approximation of a real city (this one being New Orleans), which is quiet a unique setting in games. Sure, we’ve had Vice City, Left 4 Dead 2, and Assassin’s Creed: Liberation set in and around the South, but New Bordeaux is fully fleshed-out, with countless indoor locations, pedestrians, and drivers.

Talking of the variety of locations, Mafia III has a selection to rival most other open world games. With settings such as the bayou, junkyards, quarries, downtown areas, and its own version to the French Quarter, the city has a tremendous scope of backgrounds for Lincoln to dish out punishment on the Italian mob.

Mafia III has it’s own share of collectables (notably and infamously Playboy magazines, among other things), and I was surprised that a lot of these pickups are in areas never explored in the game. Suburbs with literal white-picket fences, a full sports arena, and parks filled with anti-war protests. Again, the artistry is outstanding, and the game feels better for it.

And despite having completely distinct sections on the map, New Bordeaux doesn’t feel disjointed when moving from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. They flow from one to the other, with subtle changes in housing and buildings as you move deeper into the area. It’s a dream to drive through.

_{With customisable cars and easy inputs to pull of a variety of stunt-worthy moves, driving has never felt better. (Source: microsoft.com)}

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Conclusion

The interesting part about my time with Mafia III is I was completely sick of open world games when I started. I was sick of the endless stream of side missions, the “revealing” of the world through climbing towers, the largely meandering story that can sometimes come with having a sandbox as big as it can be.

I had been wanting a more refined experience and Mafia III delivered. That’s what sets it apart from its contemporaries; GTA has the bustling modern metropolis filled to the brim, AC has the historical fiction, Fallout has the nuclear dys/utopia, and The Witcher/Skyrim have the magical fantasy. The Mafia series works because it has a focused central story that fires straight as an arrow, carving out its niche in the market.

And that niche made me adore Mafia III. Add in a cracking sense of time and history, as well as vivid locations and brutal, satisfying combat sections, Mafia III is a gem in my game library.

_{Photo Banner Source: wccftech.com}