The actual mechanics of the game – driving, shooting and stealth – are all very satisfying, thankfully, and I never found any of these systems wanting. Mafia III is a little less forgiving than most games of its ilk should you find yourself out of cover in a gunfight, and it wasn’t rare that I’d have to repeat a fairly lengthy mission a couple of times because of poor judgment cruelly punished. Once I acclimated to this rhythm and stopped trying to do cool-looking things mid-fight I found success, but it made for a slightly duller (and less shotgun-orientated) experience.
Presentation:
As I stated before, Mafia III is a fantastic thing to behold. It’s presented in a believable filmic style, backed up with excellent facial animations, expertly delivered voice acting and a great graphics engine chugging beneath it all. Outside of these cinematic moments, cruising around the open world, Mafia III can look a bit sparse at times, lacking the eye for detail the game has elsewhere. Still, the overall effect is a stunning one.
I have to especially applaud the score, as well, and the timing in which it is implemented. Mafia III has a great soundtrack, and it’s used as expertly as any other piece of the production, kicking in and scoring certain moments with timing that made me grin on quite a few occasions.
Conclusion:
There’s a lot to love with Mafia III, and in many ways it pushes the genre in directions even genre heavyweights haven’t explored yet. In some regards, I’m immensely impressed at what the team have created here, but I’m equally as disappointed by a couple of vital slip ups when it comes to gameplay.
When you’re in control, Mafia III will rarely show you something you haven’t seen before, but it’s never a bad experience. But when Mafia III wants to tell you something, it’s on a whole other level.
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