If a new Mafia title has to follow two tenets to produce an excellent story, it is these. First, arrive several years after its predecessor – eight is good, five not as much and nine reasonably well. Second, it must end terribly for everyone involved. Survivors are warranted, but betrayal, death and heartbreak must occur. Mafia: The Old Country adheres to both of these rules. The question is, as it always is: How?
It begins with Enzo Favara, a carusu or “mine-boy” in 1904 Sicily. No prospects, no future, and only the faintest hope of escaping to maybe potentially acquire both of these things (with his friend, Gaetano, in tow). Things take an unfortunate turn when Gaetano dies due to a collapse triggered by a leak in the sulfur mines. While fending off Damiano Bastoni, aka Il Merlo and escaping, he ventures into the land, figurative and literal, of one Don Bernardo Torrisi. Il Merlo backs off, not wanting to instigate Torrisi, who has a truce with Don Sparado, the mine’s owner.
From there begins Enzo’s initiation into the Torrisi family and his descent into the Sicilian mafia. He begins a secret relationship with Torrisi’s daughter, Isabella, and becomes friends with his nephew, Cesare. He’s also taken under the wing of Gianluca Trapani, better known as Luca, the underboss of the Torrisi, and also crosses paths with Tino Russo, the consigliere.
The story sees Enzo undertaking one dangerous mission after another for the Torrisi, from rescuing Isabella and Baron Fontallena’s son, Gennaro (and killing the one who organized it) to working with Don Galante to sabotage Sparado’s money laundering. An attack by Il Merlo on the Torrisi results in his death, while Don Galante and Luca are killed after a conflict involving Sparado and Baron Fontallena. The latter served as the patron of the Torrisi but betrayed Bernardo to side with Sparado. Don Torrisi, however, survives and sends Enzo to slay both Fontallena and Sparado as retribution.
His reward for these – and many other murders – is the sulfur mines. It’s a full circle moment but also an eye-opening one for Enzo, who clawed his way out of hell only to be brought right back. Except this time, he’s now King of the Carusi, as Cesare puts it, and the one seemingly profiting off the exploitation. The latter tells Enzo later that he’s moving up in the world and that he shouldn’t “forget the rest of us, all down here,” which the former doesn’t take too kindly to.
In the background, Isabella tells Enzo about her dream to flee Sicily and go to America, specifically Empire Bay (and even becomes pregnant with his child). Enzo goes with her to leave after slaying the rest of the Torrisi’s enemies, but they’re stopped by Tino and his goons. Separated from Isabella, Enzo is taken back to Torrisi as Cesare laments about what he threw away, and even feels betrayed. Meanwhile, in the background, smoke can be seen from the neighboring Mount Etna.
Enzo arrives before the Don, who doles out a beating and reveals that his daughter will marry Gennaro, the new Baron Fontanella. He then tells Cesare to end Enzo’s life, but Mount Etna suddenly erupts. Enzo charges Cesare through a window, and they tumble down hill. Despite not wanting to fight, they engage in a bitter knife duel where Cesare reveals his bitterness towards Enzo, and the latter emerges victorious. He stops short of killing Cesare, however, and tells him to leave for himself instead of the Don and his current life.
As the eruption continues, Enzo fights his way through other Torrisi mafioso to reach Isabella, even through the sulfur mines and ends up against the Don himself. After causing a small collapse and escaping, he and Bernardo engage in one last knife duel, ending with the Don’s defeat and death. Cesare then shows up, extending his hand to Enzo and feigning friendship before hugging and then stabbing him.
Enzo bleeds out and subsequently dies, after which we cut to Isabella, who escapes from the Torrisi mansion, sneaking past guards even as it burns down due to Etna’s eruption. She eventually goes up against and slays Tino, but before leaving, Cesare rolls up. Rather than stopping her, he delivers a letter from Enzo and watches the Torrisi estate go up in flames.
We then cut to Isabella reading Enzo’s words on a ship, how he couldn’t undo his past, but that he helped her to rise above it. After finishing the letter, Empire Bay rolls into view, and the game ends.
The first question would be how this connects to the other Mafia games, especially Mafia 2, given that Empire Bay is the setting. Isabella has never been mentioned in the series till now, though some fans think that Enzo Conti, who appears in Mafia 3, might be her son. The name would certainly fit, but the probably with this theory is that he’s 58 years old. Since The Old Country ends in 1907 and Mafia 3 takes place in 1968, he would have been born in 1909 or 1910.
It’s all fairly open-ended, and while intended for various reasons, the story offers some interesting looks at other characters. We finally get some backstory on Leo Galante, who would go on to serve the Vinci family in Empire Bay after the death of his grandfather, the Don. He would then meet with Vito Scaletta, Mafia 2’s protagonist, and teach him how to box. Then there’s Frank Vinci, who, despite having a modest role in The Old Country, would become a major crime boss in Empire Bay (mostly thanks to Leo). There are even smaller cameos by characters like Giuseppe Palminteri, an arms dealer who also left Sicily and ventured to Empire Bay, where Joe Barbaro would enlist his help to get Vito out of army service.
With all the Mafia 2 connections, Hangar 13 may be setting up a potential sequel that could focus on the child of Isabella and Enzo. What impact they would have on Empire Bay is unknown, especially since that city’s fate was sealed when Vito and Joe went on a rampage. Then again, their story could unfold before that and maybe branch off while it’s happening, creating an entire new crime saga.
There’s also the question of Cesare, left to pick up the pieces. Would he pursue Isabella and try to completely wipe out Enzo’s family, perhaps because that’s what his uncle, whom he struggled to gain acceptance from, would have wanted? Is there really anything left of the Torrisi to warrant such a vendetta, or would he join another family to try and enact it? Whatever the case may be, he’s far beyond redemption at this point, and if the series’ history has proven anything, it’s that pride comes before the fall.
Regardless of where the story goes next, Mafia: The Old Country stands out as more than just a prequel. It didn’t end up providing an origin story for Don Salieri as the rumors claimed before launch, but it didn’t have to. Instead, it showcased yet another side of mafia life, where despite finding happiness and everything one could ever want, even if it didn’t involve owning an empire, they would still meet their end in bloody fashion. Will that cycle of violence ever be broken or continue, much like in real life? Time will tell, but Enzo’s legacy lives on, for now.
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