The Mafia series has been around for over two decades, giving fans their fix of the crime family lifestyle. While only having three mainline games and two spin-offs, the franchise has become one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Each game focuses on a different era, giving players new and unique experiences each time. The series has received praise for its complex narratives, realism, depth, and world design. The franchise has sold over 17 million copies in its lifetime, making it one of the most commercially successful brands. Here’s a look at how the titles have evolved:
Mafia (2002)
Set in the fictional city of Lost Heaven, Illinois, Mafia introduces players to Tommy Angelo, a small-time taxi driver. Tommy is coerced to help the Salieri family escape after the murder of their rivals, the Morello family. Tommy is forced into a life of crime after members of the Morello family destroy his car as an act of revenge. Throughout the story, Tommy slowly works to the top, becoming a respected family member and a made man. The story’s climax involves suspense, betrayal, murder, and more, keeping players on the edge of their seats.
Movies such as The Godfather and Goodfellas inspired the plot, which can be seen throughout the story. Critics praised the game for its gameplay as it took itself seriously and was more realistic than games like Grand Theft Auto III. However, this praise was only for the game’s PC version, as its console releases are viewed as significant downgrades. It was nominated for several awards and won GameSpot’s “Best Music” award. The game went on to sell over 2 million copies during its lifetime, paving the way for sequels and a remake of the game in 2020.
Mafia II (2010)
Set a decade after Mafia, Mafia II is a standalone sequel focusing on the main protagonist Vito Scaletta. Vito is a Sicilian immigrant who joins the United States Army to avoid jail time for a robbery he committed. Traveling on leave, Vito heads to Empire Bay, a fictional city based on New York, Chicago, Boston, and Detroit. During the war, he witnessed how powerful the Mafia was in Italy and, in cahoots with his buddy Joe Barbaro, got fake discharge papers from the Clemente family. Mafia II improves on the gunplay and movement and is complete with updated graphics. However, the world is often criticized for its lack of sandbox mechanics that were standard at the time and its limited open world.
The development of Mafia II was long and difficult as the devs had to change game engines and deal with delays. The game was originally supposed to be released on PS2 and Xbox, but the game engine was too much, so it was moved to the new generations of consoles. Despite the script being written in 2003, it wasn’t until 2008 that there was a playable version of the game, which was later delayed until 2010. It later got a remastered version that included all the expansion packs and updated graphics in 2020.
The game received three DLC expansion packs: The Betrayal of Jimmy, Jimmy’s Vendetta, and Joe’s Adventures. These three expansions are not canon to the base game and follow different protagonists. The first two DLCs follow a gun-for-hire Jimmy, who does several jobs and gets sent to prison before escaping. The third DLC focuses on Joe Barbaro but has been bashed by fans for being boring and repetitive despite seeing events after the base game.
Mafia II Mobile (2010)
Despite being titled Mafia II, the game does not tell the same story as the console releases. In Mafia II Mobile, players follow Marco Russotto, who is a part of the Salieri crime family. Marco is on a mission to travel to Empire Bay to kill Tommy Angelo from the first game. After Tommy betrays the family, a mark is placed on his head. The game consists of 64-bit sprites and arcade-style mechanics. However, there are two possible endings for the game, one of which is canon and leads to the events of Mafia II on consoles.
Mafia III (2016)
The most recent original game in the series, Mafia III, takes place in New Bordeaux, a fictionalized New Orleans. Players follow the story of Lincoln Clay as he sets out for revenge on the mob who murdered his family. Lincoln teams up with three other mob families and a CIA operative to take down the Marcano Family. The mobs battle against each other throughout the story in order to gain control of New Bordeaux.
The open world remains relatively the same as Mafia II, with restricted areas and a limited sandbox. While the dev team heavily researched New Orleans, making the city as detailed as possible, fans criticize the need for more exploration. The game attempts to tell a direct and serious story with a linear approach that doesn’t mesh well with an open world. However, despite its mixed reviews, the game was a commercial success and sold over 7 million copies in its lifetime.
The game received three DLC packs, including Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned, and Sign of the Times. Each expansion follows Lincoln as he embarks on various missions. Faster, Baby! has Lincoln helping a civil rights activist get dirt on a racist sheriff in town. Stones Unturned has Lincoln and John Donovan taking down a former CIA agent with nuclear codes. And Sign of the Time follows a satanic cult that hopes to bring a race war to the city.
Mafia III: Rivals (2016)
Similar to how Mafia II had a mobile edition, Mafia III features the same thing. Mafia III: Rivals is a turn-based RPG for mobile devices. While the game is set in New Bordeaux, the gameplay is more about collecting characters and battling against enemies. The servers were eventually shut down in 2019, and the app was removed from iOS and Android.
Mafia: Definitive Edition (2020)
The definitive edition of Mafia is a faithful remake of the original game. It tells the same story of Tommy Angelo while including more scenes and expanding the city. New Heaven was built from the ground up and focused on the realism of city life. The open world is also more free and doesn’t restrict players as much. They can now explore areas, complete side missions, and collect hidden items. The game received positive reviews at launch, with critics praising its graphics, story, and voice acting but did criticize its animation.
Untitled Mafia Game (TBA)
Mafia IV has been confirmed to be in development. While not much is known, fans have speculated that the game will take place in Sicily in the early 20th century. This would make it a prequel to the original Mafia game. No release date is known at this time, but there have been sightings of job postings and meaning the game is in pre-production. Given the time it takes to create a game, fans will have to wait a few years before playing Mafia IV.