Hello, fellow gamers. This year will bring us the third installment in the Mafia franchise, with a bit of a fresh take on the make up of the game. Instead of playing as an Italian mobster, you play as Lincoln Clay, an African American who is an orphan and a Vietnam vet. The setting takes place in 1968, a tremulous and racially charged time in history in New Bordeaux, the game’s version of New Orleans.
Lincoln’s motives are deeply fueled by the betrayal and slaughter of the black mafia in the hands of the empowered organization. He is hell bent on revenge and in order to accomplish it, he has to tear down and burn the old mob, and out of the ashes build anew.
The way you go about this can be through many ways. First, you recruit and establish three underbosses, one of whom is the lead character from the last installment, each one who has their own connections and reasons for taking down the established mafia. In order to destroy the mob, you have to systematically tear the organization apart by a variety of mission types to cause enough damage and profit loss to destroy the operations. This includes destroying drug boats, robbing bag men, robbing orgies and porn studios, as well as killing smack dealers (smack is a drug for those who don’t know), interrogate pimps, capture drug dens, assassinate key figures, and did we say rob orgies?
Once you have caused enough damage and blood shed, one of the ten districts that you are currently working on will be yours for the taking. All that needs to be done is to kill off the big shot of that district and have a sit down with your underbosses. This is where you will forge and break alliances based on who you choose to run the newly claimed property.
The gameplay itself is enough to grab and keep your attention. Most things that you would expect to find in an open-world sand box games is here. It’s not as big of a world or as populated like, let’s say Grand Theft Auto 5, but what is there seems to have been done right. All the time period vehicles have their own handling dynamics and feel different from the next one. The world is filled with non playable characters that all respond to your actions, which makes you feel like you are actually affecting your environment. When it comes to the gameplay itself, it’s layered. Your missions will have an open approach to them — you can take mobs head-on in a guns a blazing style or be like a sneaky urban ninja and take the quiet approach.
Most things that you would expect to find in an open-world sand box games is here.
The combat system is a cover based; enemies are intelligent enough to make you think about your strategy and method of engagement. If you go in too recklessly, you can easily find yourself being out-gunned or the enemy AI calling for reinforcements. However, for fun and balance sake, if you’re in good standing with one of your underbosses, you also get to call in your own reinforcements.
However, through out it all everything that takes place in this world seems to take a backseat to the story. As you’re playing through the game you will get very involved with Lincoln and his cause, as well as having to make some hard choices on who lives or dies.
This game comes out on October 7th, and we can’t wait to get our blood covered hands on this game. Well, to be honest the bosses of IMBOLDN are the real killers, we just do what we’re told. Any way… Happy gaming!