After months of endless hints and teases, game publisher 2K has finally unveiled the first trailer for “Mafia 3” during the recently concluded Gamescom 2015 held in Cologne, Germany. However, the trailer left a lot of fans wondering because it featured the game heading towards a different direction. The latest addition to the “Mafia” video game series appears to take on a new mob story with a new setting and a new main character.
Set during the 60s in New Orleans, Louisiana where racial tensions, counter-culture music, anti-war movements, and political assassinations were at an all-time high, it centers on protagonist Lincoln Clay, an African-American Vietnam War veteran living in the city.
In the four-minute gameplay trailer, Clay finds himself a victim of circumstances as he suffers through conflicts while finding a new place he can call home. While the third entry to the video game franchise is very different from its predecessors, it does not rule out the possibility of seeing the return of the original mob. According to reports, teaser images have come out showing Vito Scaletta, the protagonist from “Mafia 2,” making a comeback to “Mafia 3” as an ally to Lincoln.
As per Express of UK, the gameplay demo shown at Gamescom appears that “Mafia 3” did undergo drastic updates and changes. For one, the lighting and graphics have been much improved so that it will no longer be dubbed anymore as a clone of “Grand Theft Auto,” one of the most, if not the most successful video game franchise in history.
On-screen, the gun that the player will use appears standard for the third-person perspective although the setting and style of the game is really what sets it apart from its previous versions. The game is running on a 1968 timeline where America was on the verge of changing its civil rights. Also during that period, the country witnessed the assassination of prominent figures such as Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. It was also the time when the country saw further involvement in the Vietnam War, the election of Richard Nixon as President, and the Apollo 7 space mission.
Quarterdisorder.com slices the trailer into details saying Clay Lincoln was orphaned at a very young age and has dedicated his life in finding a place where he could freely belong. In America, he found a family when he signed up with the black mob who have affiliations with the Italian mafia in New Orleans. Unfortunately, he saw his new family killed and betrayed by the Italians. From that point on, Clay has promised to seek revenge against the mafia, bringing them down one by one while building his own criminal empire.
The main character will team up with other crews, but they shall not be playable in the game. Other new characters to be introduced will be Cassandra, the leader of the Haitians, and Burke, the leader of the Irish. In “Mafia 3,” players can choose which city to take over from one of the three lieutenants, each coming with their own rewards, perks, and upgrades. The third entry to the Mafia franchise gives gamers an array of choices such as take over a new terrain or stopping law enforcements from harassing a black couple in the street, although players must be wary as well as the choices come with certain consequences.
Some areas featured so far include a jazz bar, a cemetery, and some parts of the city during day and night. Cars can be seen freely ticking off like bombs during gunfights and chases. Like its predecessors, “Mafia 3” is expected to feature music and cars from the time period the game is set in. How developers would re-imagine New Orleans in the upcoming open world third-person action adventure game still remains a mystery. It can be recalled that “Mafia 2” limited players in terms of interaction, especially during story missions.