PRESENTATION
Playing as former Vietnam soldier Lincoln Clay, who sets out on a mission of revenge after a damning betrayal, our job is to control his rise to power of the city of New Bordeaux, while taking out specific targets before facing the made men. Mafia III's emphasis on storytelling and well-written characters is a refreshing contrast to the explosive playgrounds of other open-world contemporaries. While there is shooting and killing to be done, it's Hangar 13's finely crafted narrative that makes Mafia III a memorable experience.
Mafia III isn't the absolute pinnacle of technical and visual sophistication, but New Bordeaux is, regardless, one of the most convincing settings committed to the medium. Whether its the people who fill the streets, lived-in bars, lively strip joints or the productive sight of the docks or busy warehouses, it's a convincing portrayal of 1968 era life that brings authenticity to the game. The technical aspects are commendable. Facial animations are far away the best I've ever seen, and the art direction absolutely sells the world. The cars look incredible and appropriately glossy, and the lighting sways over tarmac and brick convincingly. Mafia III also tackles heavy themes associative of the era, and its handling of social and racist issues is deft, though full-on. It isn't afraid to use derogatory dialogue to make a statement, and its the way Hangar 13 resists compromise that makes it truly commendable.
GAMEPLAY
If you've played an open-world action game before (and chances are you have), Mafia III isn't going to strike you as epiphanic, but that doesn't mean the game isn't enjoyable because, for the vast majority of it's perhaps overlong 35 hour runtime, it's a lot of fun. About an hour or so into the game, you'll begin tackling missions that task you with infiltrating an establishment and eliminating it's guards. It's during these missions that you can also deal damage to specific property - be it valuable containers, supply crates or vehicles - which will force out the district's operating overseer, who must then be eliminated in order to gain control of that district. Other missions may task Clay with destroying a warehouse full of expensive vehicles or taking out "enforcers" - guys who can reveal the location of other targets of interest, and who may also be added to your stream of associates... or just killed.
Speaking of associates, these leaders (of whom you can assign different districts) will run that part of town while giving you a steady route of income. You have three different associates and, in exchange for district assignments, will give you abilities such as a portable arms dealer, a driver who will store your cash at a secure location (so that you won't lose it if you die), vehicle drop-off and, my personal favourite, a hit squad for back-up for those off-the-script moments. However, if you decide to assign districts to one associate, the other two will become frustrated and turn on you, which adds a dilemma that feels convincing and dynamic.
Mafia III's actual mechanics are solid across the board. The shooting feels brutal and weighty, giving you an arsenal of conventional, though still effective, weapons like pistols, machine guns, shotguns and the like. The melee combat is just as satisfying. Seeing as you'll be infiltrating areas a lot of the time, Clay must make use of stealth, which is incorporated well, although perhaps too easily exploited. Due to the feature where Clay can whistle from cover, enemies will absolutely always move towards his location, which means you can take them out from cover either through lethal or non-lethal means. It's effective though also too easy.
Driving feels nice, with an arcade feel that's made a thankful resurgence in recent years, eschewing the pseudo-realistic handling of other open-world games. The cars are wonderful to drive, and drifting around corners while either chasing a target or eluding the law is great. I also can't emphasize enough the feeling of burning rubber down the highway while listening to the game's glorious soundtrack. It's absolute top-notch in every respect, and is easily one of the best soundtracks of the year.
At over 35 hours, Mafia III isn't short on length, though it may have benefited from ending perhaps ten hours earlier. This is because the last act of the game feels a little rushed, with the middle portion of the game feeling a little bloated. There are also collectibles scattered around, although they aren't the most absorbing of finds, except the playboy magazines... of course.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mafia III. It doesn't reinvent the wheel in any meaningful way, mechanically speaking, but it's rather uncommon focus on storytelling and character drama makes it special in its own regard. Engaging, well-written and filled with memorable characters and satisfying action, it's a game that keeps the Mafia name intact and I hope we see more of this franchise in the coming years