CMoney finally sat down with Mafia: The Old Country, a franchise he loves, and walked away unimpressed. Sicily looks strong in stills, but the slow burn never earned it.
Verdict Not for Me
I have been holding off on Mafia: The Old Country, and I finally sat down with it. I’m a big fan of this franchise. I loved the first one. Part two was fantastic. I loved part three too. I thought it was really, really cool. So I walked in with high hopes.
I also walked in a little cautious. When I first saw the trailers, they did not quite reach what I wanted, and I held off spending the money. Enough time has gone by that I was hoping to be impressed. I gave it a fair shake. I’m going to leave this one here.
Watch the RAW IMPRESSIONS
Mafia: The Old Country RAW IMPRESSIONS: I Gave It a Fair Shake, and I’m Leaving It HereI gave it a fair shake, but I’m going to leave this one here.
CMoney, OnPoint 4 Gamers
A beautiful setting that still feels like cut corners
Mafia: The Old Country comes from Hangar 13 and 2K. It came out August 8, 2025, at $49.99 on Xbox and PC, and it puts you in 1900s Sicily as Enzo Favara, trying to earn a place with the family. I played it on PC, cranked the settings, and it looked really good right away. These teams have made beautiful games before, and Sicily has the bones of one.
Then the seams start showing. I had high hopes, and I feel like they cut so many corners. It should look better than it does in motion. The animations need more energy. At one point the horse’s face just disappears. That’s not the vibe you want when you’re trying to sell a prestige crime story.
The slow burn never earned it
I like a good slow game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. So this is not me bouncing because a story takes its time. It’s not the slowness. It’s everything that goes with the slowness.
This became Shenmue-letter levels of tedium. And it’s not pretty enough for that level of tedium. I understand what they’re trying to do. They want the mundane stuff to build into something bigger. I was carrying meals, dealing with farm work, and sitting through scenes that just kept coming. At one point I was staring down the idea of literally shoveling shit and asking myself if that was the session.
The game needs a really good editor. If you want to focus on telling a good story, tell the good story. I could appreciate the idea. I just can’t help but feel let down by it. I kept waiting for a story payoff, and it never arrived while I was playing.
When it finally perks up, it is too late
The opening has some atmosphere, and the later stretch finally points toward the story they want to tell. There is the making of something that might be engaging, a lot of buildup toward the beating-people-up part of a Mafia game. The knife training was the most entertainment I had all session. Even then, the buttons felt weird. I kept assuming there would be a simple hit button, and there isn’t.
By then, my interest was already wavering. It’s a slow burn, and I was hopeful it would pick up for me. It took a really long time to get there. It’s not exciting. It’s not riveting. It’s not fun, per se. It did its thing. That was enough for me to know where I stood.
Are you still in on Mafia: The Old Country?
Vote and see what other Xbox fans think.
Like having a say? Get OnPoint Weekly or argue it out on Discord.
Verdict: Not for Me
I gave it a fair shake. I played it for a while. This is Mafia: The Old Country, and it is not where I want it. I’m going to leave this one here and move on to something more fun.
If a slow, methodical crime story is exactly your thing, you may get more out of the buildup than I did. I wanted to love this. I wanted the franchise magic back. What I got was a pretty setting, too much tedium, and a letdown.
What’s working
- Sicily looks strong in still moments, and the first impression is a good one
- The franchise setup still has the bones of a classic mob story
- The knife training is a spark, and you can feel a story trying to form
What needs work
- Too much tedium for the payoff it delivers
- Animations and details feel like cut corners, including bugs like a disappearing horse face
- The game needs a tighter editor if the story is the point
- It is not exciting, not riveting, and not fun enough to keep me in it
Platform played: PC (Steam; Humble Choice November 2026 claim)
Featured image: official Mafia: The Old Country Steam library hero, cropped by OnPoint 4 Gamers. No gameplay stills in this piece.
Sources
- 2K Newsroom, Aug 8, 2025: Mafia: The Old Country now available worldwide (Hangar 13 / 2K; Standard $49.99; Xbox Series X|S and PC)
- Xbox Store: Mafia: The Old Country (9P834N9S4LL0; $49.99; Xbox Series X|S)
- Steam store: Mafia: The Old Country (app 1941540; Hangar 13 / 2K; $49.99; Steam lists Aug 7, 2025)
- CMoney’s We Doin’ It LIVE, Nov 12, 2026 (WDIL VOD)
