8 Reasons Mafia 3 Is One 2016's Most Underrated Gems
How does a game nail this many new things, and not get the recognition?
Remember the first time you played Vice City? It was a revolutionary step towards an era in GTA's history that remains its all-time peak: One where Rockstar put just as much effort into crafting immaculate soundscapes and soundtracks as they did gunplay, violence and the script itself.
Flash-forward to 2016, and phenomenal sound design is only the tip of the iceberg. Mafia III is easily one of the most immersive and finest open-world titles in years, one that despite the repetition inherent in its basic gameplay loop, excels thanks to fantastic writing, a risky time period and a cast of characters that all deserve their place in gaming's history books.
So where's the love? It seems like the game's release just came and went in the press, despite high sales figures and consumer response being pretty positive.
Regardless, I'm still having a blast with the intricately-designed world of New Bordeaux, and here are just a handful of reasons why you should be too.
--
8. The Story Is Worth The Price Alone
Yes, there's a lot of neck-stabbing and shotgun blasts in between, but in its fantastic, Band of Brothers-inspired cutscenes, Mafia III weaves a very memorable story.
Told in a documentary style, you'll soon start making connections between certain characters describing specific events, and their actions in said events. It affords developers Hangar 13 a unique narrative framework, cutting away from missions to have individuals detail "what happened next", or to flesh out another's underlying motivations through the lens of retrospection.
All of this factors into the numerous twists and turns that come with Lincoln Clay's dogged rise to dominate the fictional streets of New Bordeaux; one that starts as a fairly basic revenge story and blossoms into a full-on exploration of power, responsibility and the juggling of personal morality in the process.