Mafia: Definitive Edition will include new experiences and an enhanced story
Hangar 13 tells OPM: "It's not a one-to-one copy of the original game"
Developer Hangar 13 says Mafia Definitive Edition won't just be a copy of the original game, and will feature new experiences and story enhancements.
In Official PlayStation Magazine's big Hot 53 issue, Hanger 13 game director Alex Cox talks in-depth about the upcoming Mafia Definitive Edition release, and reveals that it will be a remake that stays true to the spirit of the original, but makes it more palatable for players today with new features and enhancements.
“What we want to do is rejuvenate the game, make it relevant to modern players, but keep the spirit of the original. We have made changes, it’s not a one-to-one copy of the original game,” Cox says. “Anything which we could add in to expand the game outside of the regular design [has been done]. We’ve done everything we can to embellish, enlarge, and enhance [the game]."
Cox talks about some of the "new experiences that weren't there before" in the original game, with one example being the addition of motorcycles. In one mission involving a high-speed chase in pursuit of a rival mobster, the car you would have driven in the original game has been replaced with a motorcycle to offer a new gameplay experience.
"It's an example of how we've tweaked the content to include some new mechanics," Cox explains. "It's the same story intro, the same story outro, but the gameplay in the middle is that you're chasing the guy on a motorcycle; guys are shooting Tommy guns out of the back window [of the rival car] and you're having to dodge around to avoid the bullets."
The interview also offers insight into remaking Mafia on a new engine for PS4, along with a more detailed look at the expanded narrative design of the remake. You can read all this and much more in Official PlayStation Magazine's Hot 53 issue, which is filled with previews of the latest games and exclusive developer interviews.
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I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.