Following this year’s re-releases of Mafia 2 and 3, Mafia: Definitive Edition looks to be a stunning remake of the classic organized-crime action game of the same name that released back in 2002. Developed from the ground-up, it follows the story of mobster Tommy Angelo, who grows from a cab-driver into a fully-fledged member of the Salieri crime family.
The original game was acclaimed at the time for its incredible story and intense action-gameplay, with many seeing it as the best of the Mafia trilogy and an often underrated early 2000s gem. The remake looks to bring that seminal gameplay and cinematic story to modern hardware, implementing additions from the later games to make the first Mafia into an experience that can thrive in the modern landscape.
The question is, did Hangar 13 manage to capitalize on this ambitious goal? Luckily, with the game releasing tomorrow, critics have given their thoughts on whether Mafia: Definitive Edition holds up when measured against its 2002 predecessor. With reviews flooding in, it’s time to see if Hangar 13’s remake does justice to Tommy Angelo’s timeless mobster tale.
GameRant (Cameron Corliss)
“Those looking for a nostalgia trip will find it here, but there are some huge asterisks to consider before diving in. Mafia: Definitive Edition is just right for those looking to kill a few evenings before the fall’s bigger games start rolling in, or those that have fond memories of the franchise. It’s got a pile of problems to sort out, but at the same time, it scratches an itch that few other games can.”
Score: 3.5 / 5
Destructoid (Brett Makedonski)
“All this time, the first Mafia was the best of the trio. It just took a phenomenal effort from Hangar 13 to do it justice with Mafia: Definitive Edition. This feels like the rare necessary remake that elevates and builds upon the original. It’s truly an offer you can’t refuse.”
Score: 9 / 10
IGN (Luke Reilly)
“Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Mafia: Definitive Edition features excellent performances from its new cast, a fantastic driving model, and a beautiful and authentic city oozing with 1930s atmosphere like overfilled cannoli. It’s hobbled slightly by its fairly vanilla third-person combat – and it arguably wastes the potential of its entirely overhauled world by not crafting a few new ways to utilise more of it – but it’s still a successful rejuvenation of the best story in the series to date, and one that can now stand beside 2016’s Mafia III as an equal, rather than a quaint but crusty ancestor.”
Score 8 / 10
GAMINGBible (Julian Benson)
“If you’re a fan of the original Mafia then you should give this remake a try. It captures the spirit of the game while also making it a thoroughly modern shooter. If you never played Mafia, then this doesn’t feel like a nostalgia project but a new game. The split structure of the story mode and open world may be unusual when lined up against its current competitors, but if you find yourself lost in large open worlds like Assassin’s Creed and are looking for something that has more respect for your time, Mafia may be for you.”
Score: 8 / 10
PCGamesN (Carrie Talbot)
“The crime game’s not long (I completed the main campaign comfortably in around 16 hours), and its vignette-like story means you only get snapshots of the mobster’s life over a series of years, so there’s not a lot of space or time to get properly acquainted. But, with some players calling for shorter, more focused offerings in reaction to the daunting scale of many recent open-world games, Mafia: DE is kind of a balm. It’s refreshing to return to the genre’s nascence, to follow missions laid out before you, and just enjoy it for what it is: a great story you play through, with enough sizzle to be satisfying.”
Score: 8 / 10
TheGamer (Bella Blondeau)
“That doesn’t mean, to me, that Mafia is a bad game – far from it. It’d be hard to classify something with this much emotional resonance, honesty, and maturity as “bad”. However, it is a challenging game – the sort that you give a reserved recommendation, a real “it has some problems but I liked it” situation. If you’re looking for a smooth, polished experience, then yes, you might want to leave this one sleeping with the fishes. However, if you’re in the mood for a slow, moody mafia yarn with an excellent atmosphere and a compelling story, then Mafia’s a decent contender.”
Score: 3 / 5
Game Informer (Jeff Cork)
“The original Mafia was well-received at its release, and I’m sure a lot of people remember it fondly. For me, it’s something that’s probably best seen as a foundational statement in a series that got better over time and subsequent entries. As part of the Mafia trilogy, it’s an interesting footnote on what came before. As a standalone game that can hold its own against modern titles in the open-world genre? Fugetaboutit.”
Score: 5.5 / 10
EuroGamer (Chris Tapsell)
“The wider result, then, is one of wasted opportunity, a cardinal sin in ’30s USA – the land of it, lest we forget. There are good moments in Mafia: Definitive Edition, some good times and some fond memories – I stand by my love of the radio, the rain patter, the cars, when you’re not driving them – but the rest is at best nostalgia, which only goes so far.”
Score: N/A
Overall, it seems like Mafia: Definitive Edition is a mostly successful recreation of its iconic source material. While a number of publications have noted that the experience is rough around the edges – citing glitches, bugs, and more – many have claimed that the game’s exceptional story remains intact, making it a short but sweet blast from the past. According to most critics, if players have been fans of the Mafia franchise for years and can’t wait to jump back into this gloriously remade vision of Angelo’s rise through the mobster ranks, there’s likely a lot here for them. If not, then this is a solid action game with some unsatisfying shooting mechanics but a very enjoyable organized crime story.
Currently bagging a decent 79 on Metacritic, Mafia: Definitive Edition seems to be having a solid start on the critical circuit. Of course, more reviews will make their way onto the aggregate site in the coming days, so the score is likely to fluctuate in the next week. Until then, it looks to be sitting at around the midpoint for recent remakes, falling below the likes of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake but above both SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated and Destroy All Humans. It’ll be interesting to see how the game’s critical score looks after the dust has settled.
Mafia: The Definitive Edition will be available on September 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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