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- Under the roof of the Don: the new "Mafia" was translated into Russian and brought to Russia
Under the roof of the Don: the new "Mafia" was translated into Russian and brought to Russia
GTA's constant competitor, the fourth Mafia, sold over 800,000 copies in the first five days after its worldwide release and became one of the most important new releases in August. You can't buy it on Russian Steam, and the PlayStation online store in the country is also not working yet. Therefore, gamers were waiting for the discs, especially since the official version of Mafia: The Old Country is fully translated into Russian, there are subtitles and dubbing. Izvestia appreciated the flagship version for PS5 and shares its first impressions.
Why the Mafia: The Old Country Russian
How did it happen that the game is fully translated into Russian, but is not available to Russians? The editors sent a request to the owner of the Mafia franchise, Take Two Interactive, asking for clarification of the reasons for using a full-fledged Russian localization if you can't buy it on Steam. There was no response at the time of submitting the material. But it is obvious that the creators of the game are clearly aiming not just at the Russian-speaking, but specifically at the Russian audience. Because otherwise it would be enough to make Russian subtitles and not spend money on expensive dubbing, such costs are justified if the audience is really very large and solvent.
Some experts suggest that such a translation could be made for Russian-speaking citizens of Kazakhstan, but then it is unclear why, if the publishers of the game value this market so much, there is no Kazakh dubbing, and less than 3 million Russians live in the country. Nevertheless, it looks more like Take Two Interactive has formally left the Russian Federation due to sanctions, but continues to actually work for the Russian audience and is making very real steps in its direction. Although true connoisseurs will undoubtedly choose the Sicilian language, which was added to the series for the first time for the most authentic immersion.
Who will like the new "Mafia"
Mafia: The Old Country is a new part of the criminal action game from the American studio Hangar 13, dedicated to the confrontation of mafia clans. The action takes place at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. The developers returned to the roots of the franchise, focusing on the plot and atmosphere, as in the first two parts. It succeeded, but only partially.
The passage of The Old Country leaves mixed impressions: fans received a nostalgic charge due to the abundance of references to previous parts — racing, carrying boxes, initiation ritual, the iconic phrase "holy father, I have sinned" and rich Italian flavor (omerta, dialects, the atmosphere of Sicilian streets). And this, of course, is good, but at some point the autocitat becomes too much. We feel trapped from all sides by tradition, patterns, and inflexible scenario solutions.
The game is limited by rigid limits: deviation from a given path is perceived as a violation of the "fragile fabric of history." Modern AAA projects today are often criticized for meaningless side quests that take up a lot of real time. The creators of The Old Country concluded from this that since the games are wide, it would be necessary to narrow it down. Therefore, interactivity is kept to a minimum. You can behave as you like, there will be no reaction. Pedestrians and carts ignore passing cars, and there is no "punishment" for hitting a civilian — no threats from Don Torrisi, or even mentions of "people of honor." There is not even a minimal system of consequences.
Knife duels are disappointing. Their implementation is intrusive: a challenge to a duel occurs at inopportune moments (most often in a burning house), but you can not refuse. Instead, it would be possible to introduce a selection system: a Knife Fighter skill branch with blade leveling, random challenges on the streets, a duel arena (as in Ghost of Tsushima), or using a knife in battles with NPCs, where others freeze watching a fair duel. Also, players with firearms could choose between shooting and dueling, receiving different rewards — this would add weight to the choice. None of this is here. It's just that for some reason you have to fight with a knife all the time.
What to do in the game
The main character is Sicilian Enzo Favara, who was sold by his father at the age of five to the owners of sulfur mines for debts. After 12 years, Enzo escaped, was rescued by Don Bernardo Torrisi and taken into service. In four years (1904-1907), Enzo rose from an assistant (loading crates, cleaning stables) to a valuable soldier of the family. However, his career is complicated by his love for the don's daughter, Isabella, who reciprocates his love, but Torrisi has other plans for the girl.
All this takes place in the atmosphere of classic mafia movies. It was a great success: the game is really cinematic. The average difficulty level takes about 15 hours to complete, which is a reasonable length, as the recent Assassin's Creed Shadows brought less than 15% of players to the final. However, The Old Country is developing too slowly, with an epic pace: the first shootout takes place by the third hour, and the first significant plot twist by the fourth. The developers pay a lot of attention to Enzo's formation, but if you've watched and read something about the Sicilian mafia, you're already anticipating every event in advance. Such a plot is called a classic one, the distance from a proven recipe to a hackneyed move is short.
A striking example is Mount Etna, which has been slowly erupting for four years to become the setting for the final mission. It's an effective metaphor, but we've been waiting too long for this, so we're not too surprised. Maybe because Enzo's image is presented schematically, coarsely. He doesn't evolve, blindly follows the instructions, we can't connect to him in any way, worry about him, anyone else could be in his place.
Missions are based on a template — a task at the villa, a trip to the target, a hidden infiltration, completing a task, and escaping. Opponents rarely gather more than two, the player is poorly noticed, and Enzo can highlight enemies through walls like a superhero, and this ability is not explained to us in any way. It just might, that's all. At the beginning of the twentieth century. The shootings are conducted with the same weapons, the enemies run ahead, do not react to grenades.
Knife fights with bosses initially add dynamics, but, as we said above, they repeat themselves. Players could fight in underground clubs, but the developers did not provide for this. Minor disadvantages include the disappearance of enemies from the crates without a trace, warnings about returning to the task area when retreating a few meters, as well as a knife sharpening system (which requires resources, but does not affect the plot).
By the way, technically The Old Country has an open world, but it is only needed to enjoy the landscapes of Sicily (orange orchards, vineyards, villages, the sea). There are no side missions or mini-games, only collectible items (newspapers, notes) that do not affect gameplay. But you can ride horses, not just vintage clunkers. It's practically not played out in the plot.
As a result, Mafia: The Old Country turns out to be a complete contradiction. On the one hand, it has outdated mechanics and a predictable plot; on the other, the stunning atmosphere of early 20th—century Sicily and an artistic production worthy of a crime thriller. The nostalgic charge is generously peppered with references to the rest of the series. The game is really old-fashioned, they don't do that anymore. We are offered to return to childhood. And stay there until the next GTA is released, and it's still a very, very long time. At least they are allowed to ride horses: fully and for the first time in the history of the series.
The PlayStation 5 version of the game is provided by Achivka, Russia's largest distributor of consoles and video games.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
