Mafia III

Mafia III is the next installment in the series of third-person open world action games about gangsters. The title was created by newly founded Hangar 13 studio, working under Take-Two Interactive. The studio hires ex-members of 2K Czech (previously known as Illusion Softworks), the team behind the first two parts of the series. This new game by the Czech studio was released on PC and, for the first time in history of the series, on the eight generation consoles.

Story

The game is set in the year 1968, New Orleans. The main character is Lincoln Clay, a veteran of the Vietnam war and a mafia member. However, his ‘family’ was betrayed and executed without mercy. Therefore, the main theme of the game is revenge on the person responsible for killing Lincoln’s folks - Sal Marcano, the don of Italian mob, who ordered the massacre. In his quest Clay can cooperate with other criminal bosses, including an Irish gangster named Burke, Cassandra, the head of Haitian gang, and Vito Scaletta, the protagonist of Mafia II.

Gameplay

Although Mafia games have always been set in open worlds, in terms of gameplay the third part comes closer to the competing Grand Theft Auto series. The streets of New Orleans are filled with various extra activities, which you are free to complete between main missions. One of the biggest differences between Mafia and GTA is the artificial intelligence of New Orleans' citizens. Similarly to the protagonist, non-player characters can engage in various activities. Therefore, you can come across couples kissing, junkies enjoying their habit, or street musicians.

Another new element of key importance is the option of taking over hideouts of hostile gangs. After clearing up a particular location you can hand it down to one of your capos. This generates various bonuses, e.g. an option to call in the ‘cavalry’ to help you get rid of opponents chasing you, or bribe the police to drop a pursuit.

This time the protagonist has a much wider spectrum of abilities. Lincoln can make use of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, machine guns, and grenades, although it is possible to carry only two types of weapons at the same time. The game also features a cover system and dynamic hand-to-hand combat, including brutal knock-downs. Another important element of gameplay is shooting while driving a car – the driving itself was significantly improved as well. Mafia III has a combined health regeneration system. Health bar is split into three segments, which regenerate automatically unless they drop to zero – when that happens, you have to use a medkit to fill them up.

Technology

In contrast to the last two Mafia games, which bore more resemblance to action-adventure games, Mafia III for PC, PS4 and XONE makes a big step towards a sandbox narrative, which is a distinctive characteristic of the GTA series. Although both franchises belong to Take-Two Interactive, the two developers use their own solutions in terms of gameplay and technology. The overall gameplay experience is further enhanced by excellent graphics.

Last updated on 27 April 2016