Mafia: Definitive Edition is an already impressive remake of the original title, and a classic modernized enough to make it enjoyable for a new generation of players.. It’s now got a native PS5 version, where all of the remake’s goodies now come packaged with improved resolution targets and smooth 60fps performance, making it a very good way to enjoy an experience that feels almost lovingly handcrafted.
I remember jumping into the Definitive Edition on my PS4, the original being one that I was too young for at the time of its release. Tommy Angelo’s story and the way his relationship with the Salieri family turns out is the obvious draw here, and I’m going to assume that if you’re here, it’s either out of nostalgia or interest in a chapter of the franchise you might not have gotten around to yet.
If it’s the latter, I must say that replaying the adventure on my PS5 came with the knowledge of how things turn out in the latter half of the story. While you might think that it made things boring, it was even more interesting to see how the story plants the seeds of future events, the threads leading Tommy and his cohorts down paths they can’t avoid. There’s a melancholy that underlies the relationships Tommy builds as he rises through Salieri’s ranks, and while the blind euphoria of living as a kept man shines through in the moment-to-moment gameplay, there’s enough emotional depth to make this a mature take on life in the Mafia.
But with so many additions to the franchise that have followed it, is this a story that’s still worth diving into if you haven’t experienced it? That’s a resounding yes, as it is written, paced and executed so well that you can’t help but feel for Tommy, Sam, and Paulie in the moments where the tension unfolds, even as you’ve witnessed their friendship evolve from a chance encounter and a wealth of shared memories between them.
“While the blind euphoria of living as a kept man shines through in the moment-to-moment gameplay, there’s enough emotional depth to make this a mature take on life in the Mafia.”
It helps that the campaign is broken down into neat little chapters, each of which gives you enough of the game’s mechanics in short bursts before some great cinematic cutscenes take over to let the story unfold. The city of Lost Heaven works as a sort of open-world stage where the objectives let you wander and find your own way to markers, but there isn’t really much to do unless you accidentally collide with other vehicles and end up in a police chase.
Even the many collectibles strewn about aren’t enough of a reason to go out of your way, as they don’t really add to the lore or story. There are a few notes and letters around when you’re in a mission that help lend context to everything but they’re only little snippets to flesh things out rather than a storytelling device that the game leans on. The art direction is incredible, though, with distinct vibes for different parts of the town that the game goes out of its way to show off when you first roll in. Chinatown’s a great example.
With a very impressive stage and a cast of characters that capture you right off the bat, you’d hope that the gameplay is then good enough to bring them together. The answer to that is a mixed bag considering how easy things are once you get the hang of it. In a scrap, Tommy’s fists, knives, or baseball bats are more than enough to overcome single opponents with deadly force. However, there’s little nuance to the whole thing, as waiting out an attack, countering it with Triangle, and then launching into a combo of your own is all you need
It’s repetitive pretty quickly, which is probably a good reason to whip out your guns and go all out thanks to the gunplay being a whole lot better. Great cover and aiming mechanics across the available roster of weapons coupled with the boost to performance makes this one shine as an interactive gangster movie on the PS5. Those shootouts feel ever so satisfying even when the enemy AI often felt like it was designed to eat our bullets and make Tommy feel like a mafioso who belongs in legends.
Of course, the former cab driver is also the best wheelman Salieri’s got, and you’re going to be driving between your objectives more often than not. The driving mechanics are excellent for the most part, with different cars coming with a distinct feel to them. Varying top speeds, ease of handling, and other factors such as rain on the roads make driving feel quite involved, although I would have appreciated some more tuning on turns with most cars spinning out of control way too easily for my liking.
“The PS5 upgrade definitely feels worthwhile thanks to how the improved resolutions help reflections, lighting, and shadows feel all the more authentic.”
That was especially true during chases where you can’t really be sure of the car you’re getting, or in that race where it took me a whole lap to get used to the sudden change in responsiveness from the race car I was driving. I placed first, of course, but that shift was jarring even after I was driving a beast of a car around in the preceding objective. That shift from the street to a track is something to watch out for when it’s your turn to win the Salieris a bucket of money.
The PS5 upgrade definitely feels worthwhile thanks to how the improved resolutions help reflections, lighting, and shadows feel all the more authentic. Along with the improved framerates, that makes Lost Heaven look incredibly immersive and realistic, and it’s a city that pulls you in thanks to how well it mimics the vibe of the time period it’s based in. It all works so well with the presentation, a very catchy soundtrack that’s well implemented into every scene, and a detailed rendition of the Prohibition era.
With blazing fast load times, excellent 60 fps performance that manages to hold even during intense chases or gunfights, and cinematics that also run at that frame rate other than a few exceptions, this is the definitive way to experience the game that started it all. Of course, the remake was itself a very good looking title, but its textures and facial models now look a tad outdated in the wake of modern remakes that have vastly improved things on current-gen hardware.
Its stunning visuals clashed with textures and faces that felt too stiff to be current-gen. This one shows its age on the PS5 but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s already such a polished experience that it’s easy to live with those flaws. However, the same dated approach to its gameplay makes even the clever mission design unable to hide the fact that fighting and driving are just there to service the story rather than being deep and fleshed-out.
“The underlying art direction in Mafia helps it manage to stay relevant and justify its existence on current-gen, but that’s sadly not the case with its gameplay systems.”
It’s also interesting that while this one’s a free upgrade for owners of the PS4 version of the remake, the fact that your save files and trophy progress aren’t transferable is an annoyance I’d rather not have. It’s also disappointing to see no use for the DualSense’s haptics or adaptive triggers, something that could have helped this version of the game stand out. I’d say that the underlying art direction in Mafia helps it manage to stay relevant and justify its existence on current-gen, but that’s sadly not the case with its gameplay systems.
They’re serviceable, sure, but we’ve all seen better in the years since this one took the world by storm. It’s limited in what it aims to achieve on the gameplay front, a facet of the experience sacrificed on the altar of a controlled, cinematic experience that brings fairly limited replay value outside of the Free Ride mode that unlocks right after you’re done with the story’s first chapter. Minor bugs such as enemies getting stuck in animations around corners are also present although, they’re rare enough to not be too much of an issue.
If you’re a new player wanting to experience the iconic first chapter in a franchise that has managed to stay great over the years, this is the version of Mafia to get. It’s the console version of a crime story that continues to be among the best of a whole generation. But if you’re coming to this from the PS4 version, or have perhaps played the original, it all depends on how enjoyable you found it all the first time around.
If you don’t mind replaying a linear story just to experience it all again, perhaps with a new perspective thanks to the remake’s improvements, I’d recommend picking this one up on sale as it’s good, but isn’t going to justify paying full price for it. It has been fun, though, and for that I’ve been rather happy to start things over from scratch. It’s been great to see Tommy again, even with the knowledge of the highs and lows of his life. And that’s Mafia: Definitive Edition’s biggest strength.
This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
