Even character progression is tied to the theme: instead of earning new abilities and gear through gaining experience points, you get them by making money and taking control over parts of the city. When you steal cash from one of these establishments, you’re not just putting it in your own pocket, you’re taking it out of theirs. They’re side diversions that also serve a purpose. The same goes for wreaking havoc in a mafia-owned restaurant or hideout. The thematic consistency extends throughout the gameīlowing up cargo trucks is fun, sure, but it also is a way to hinder the operations of the mafia. The difference, at least as developer Hangar 13 pitches it, is that these are the things Clay would really do in his quest to take down the mafia. What you’re doing in Mafia III isn’t all that different from other open-world games: driving, shooting, collecting money, upgrading your character. This thematic consistency extends to the structure of the game. "You’ll hear things in the game that Lincoln would hear as a black man in 1968." The city’s police officers will often cast you a suspicious gaze, and in some neighborhoods, store owners will call the cops just because you’re hanging outside for too long. "The idea that the player might think about race a little bit as they play, to me is important," says Blackman. His history also has narrative benefits, allowing the writers comment on the culturally turbulent time during which the game is set - the same year as the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
Before the game begins, he’s had experience in life-or-death situations. For Clay, it makes a lot more sense: he was trained to use a variety of weapons both by the army and the mob. If you play Uncharted or GTA, you might wonder how a regular person can wield a gun like a soldier, and take down dozens of enemies with ease. Your character may be facing inner turmoil about his crumbling life, but that doesn’t stop you from stealing cars and joyriding while tuning in to easy listening radio stations instead of continuing on with your violent endgame ambitions. In most open-world games, the narrative and actual game experience are largely separate. "Everything furthers his goal."Īfter playing an hour-long demo of the game, I was struck by how cohesive Mafia III’s world and story felt. The story is told in part through cutscenes structured to look like an old documentary, so that it almost feels like you’re watching events unfold that already happened 50 years ago. With the help of a trio of allies - including Mafia II protagonist Vito Scaletta - Clay sets to rebuilding a new mob to get revenge. Early on in the game the entire organization is killed by the Italian mafia, and Clay is the sole survivor. Mafia III takes place in New Bordeaux, a virtual version of New Orleans in 1968, and stars Clay as a Vietnam veteran who gets mixed up in the black mob when he returns home from duty.