Mafia: Definitive Edition Critic Reviews

A real remaster that thoroughly updates an 18-year-old title into a proper next-gen game, and actually makes it better than the original.

Hangar 13 has retouched every single aspect of the original Mafia, expanding the story, refining the gameplay, and wrapping it with an absolutely phenomenal new look and sound, elevating it to an entirely new and modern level. It’s good to be part of the family once more.

Mafia Definitive Edition is how a classic game should be remade. It keeps the soul of the original and pulls the title back into the modern era of games. The amazing story is kept intact with only a couple of changes here and there, including a totally new cast of voice actors. It's only a pity that the new version of Paulie is not up to snuff. Besides that, however, Hangar 13 has done an amazing job to introduce the original Mafia to a new audience and the game deserves to be played.

All this time, the first Mafia was the best of the trio. It just took a phenomenal effort from Hangar 13 to do it justice with Mafia: Definitive Edition. This feels like the rare necessary remake that elevates and builds upon the original. It's truly an offer you can't refuse.

Of course, it cannot keep up with modern open-world genre representatives of the caliber of a GTA or Watch Dogs in terms of scope and gaming activities. But it doesn't even want that. Mafia wants to tell a story, a story about family, friendship, morals and tragedy, and the game does this very well.

This remake is a great way to remember a true Czech legend which nowadays suffers from old age. This game respects the original but with its own twist - a darker, more believable story.

With this Definitive Edition, players can now play all three Mafia games together giving the player many hours inside the world these teams created. I highly recommend this game to new and older players alike.

Definitive Edition is a great remake. Hangar 13 respects the work of Illusions Softworks and expands it to improve every aspect of the game.

We especially like how well the developers preserve the spirit of the original, while at the same time extending the story in a meaningful way.

Mafia Definitive Edition is the example of a well-made remake, with vastly improved graphics, and enough new stuff to keep every gamer hooked, be it a newbie, or one that has already done the original game. Still, we miss the Extreme Freeride mode that disappeared from this version.

This remake manages to bring the 2002 hit back to life while improving it at the same time. Not only does it offer detailed graphics with good lighting effects, but the animations are very high quality. It's not state-of-the-art technology, but it's very close to it. There are a few synchronization problems and Lost Heaven might be a little small, but it fits Hangar 13's model like a glove. We enjoyed rediscovering the atmosphere of such a well-executed scenario, with its very high quality soundtrack and varied gameplay that gives a real rhythm to the game.

Mafia: Definitive Edition improves on the original in every way. It does this by telling a remarkable story bolstered by beautifully detailed visuals and excellent performances. The outdated mission design and gameplay keep it from ever feeling truly modern however.

Mafia: Definitive Edition is a clever, stylish and faithful remake of a cult game, which 18 years later, is still powerful lesson of how to tell a story in an open world. Hangar 13 did a great job rebuilding the city and the atmosphere with a modern touch, the story is still great and compelling, while the gameplay sometimes feels a little bit too old.

Stunning to look at, dripping in era-specific atmosphere, from the cars to the fashion to the buildings, the signs, the advertisements, to the way kitchens are arranged or how alleys and roadways intersect in a way where you can still see remnants of that transition from horse and carriage to automobile.

It’s not as stellar as the original Mafia was, but it’s not like anyone really expected that to happen. Still, Hangar 13’s game offers an interesting take on Mafia’s story – and that is no small thing either.

Mafia definitive Edition is a good remake. Visually, the game is sublime and the few small additions, especially concerning the driving are appreciable. If this 2020 version suffers from a lot of technical problems and cannot completely hide that the original game is 18 years old, the quality of writing and the mafia atmosphere offer a great moment of immersion in the underworld.

If you want to experience a Mafia title, there is no better choice than Mafia: Definitive Edition.

Mafia was a great action game with a thrilling story and charismatic characters, and now, you can enjoy it in a remarkable remake, with impressive graphics and new gameplay mechanics.

Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Mafia: Definitive Edition features excellent performances from its new cast, a fantastic driving model, and a beautiful and authentic city oozing with 1930s atmosphere like overfilled cannoli. It’s hobbled slightly by its fairly vanilla third-person combat – and it arguably wastes the potential of its entirely overhauled world by not crafting a few new ways to utilise more of it – but it’s still a successful rejuvenation of the best story in the series to date, and one that can now stand beside 2016’s Mafia III as an equal, rather than a quaint but crusty ancestor.

With a gorgeous graphical overhaul and smoother gameplay, Hangar 13 delivers what a remake should. Just don't expect as much content as a modern open-world game.