Mafia III
Whether players like it or not, Mafia III set out to do exactly what it was intended to do when it comes to world building. As uncomfortable as it may have felt for some players at times, Mafia III found a way to highlight both the charm of a New Orleans-inspired city in the Deep South while also emphasizing the ugliness of racism. It’s only fair to note that there are some actual gameplay mechanics that help bring this vision to life. Stealing a car in a rich neighborhood will get you hounded down by cops while committing the same crime in a low-income area will result in little to no attention from the cops. It’s a nice touch that makes this fictional world of New Bordeaux feel a lot more real and interactive. But even that kind of mechanic would probably be grossly unappreciated if it weren’t for Mafia III providing a wonderful canvas and soundtrack to carry its impressive story forward.
In every way imaginable, Mafia III recreates the feel of a faux New Orleans. There is a clear attention to detail when it comes to clothing as characters flaunt fashions that feel authentic to the time and region. Even the cars and architecture of buildings all embodies the true essence of New Orleans. So with the character design and detail to environment feeling exactly the way you would want a current gen game to, it’s pretty disappointing that the gameplay felt stuck in the past. While Mafia III starts out feeling like a grand time, the game becomes very repetitive rather quickly.
