TheMafiaTrilogyis technically already available, withupdated re-releases ofMafia 2andMafia 3, but the first entry in the series has yet to be released. That’s becauseMafia: Definitive Editionis a full-fledged remake of the original game and developer Hangar 13 is working hard to update and improve it for the modern age.
We already knew that the game would be receivinga major visual upgradeand, in a new interview, Hangar 13’s president and chief creative officer, Haden Blackman, has explained that the team is actually making improvements with the lessons it learned from developing the two sequels. For instance, gunplay will be much more similar to whatMafia 3had, which was more cover-based.
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It should be noted thatMafia’s protagonist, Tommy Angelo, begins as an ordinary cab driver before becoming a mobster, whereasMafia 3’s Clay was a former soldier, so there will still be a difference between how the two play. Combat will be a “a little bit more lethal” for Tommy, says Blackman, and “every bullet matters.”
Mafia: Definitive Editionalso aims to address one of the criticismsMafia 3was met with, in that its side missions were considered very repetitive. With that in mind, the team will be adding more meaningful missions which will hopefully avoid any repetition.
Another big change is how the game’s traffic laws will work. In the original, players had to obey these laws so as to avoid being hounded by the police. While these settings are being kept for theDefinitive Edition, there will be options to alter how strictly the laws need to be followed.
For example, a player can adjust it slightly so they won’t get in trouble for speeding through red lights. These additional options have been put in place to cater to how different players wish to progress through the story.
Speaking of the story, even that’s going to be expanded upon slightly. One example given by Blackman was the role that Tommy’s girlfriend, Sarah, plays. Despite having a rather pivotal role, she didn’t make a lot of appearances, so the team will be giving her more screen time so the player can better understand why Tommy makes the decisions he makes.
“At the beginning of the game you learn that he’s trying to arrange a way out of the life and he’s doing it all for his family, so we wanted to make sure that as a player you knew what it was that he was trying to protect. We wanted to make sure that Sarah got more screen time; she’s in the game more, has an understandable kind of role in the lowercase family and uppercase Family.”
The game isn’t too far off from release now, but for those in need of something similar to keep them occupied, there are some such titles that can be enjoyed right now,such as theGrand Theft Autogames and VR titleBlood and Truth.
Mafia: Definitive Editionwill release on August 28th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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