Mafia: The Previous Nation‘s depiction of 1900s Sicily is teeming with immersive element and harmful encounters. With the brand new Free Journey Replace, the builders at Hangar 13 are giving gamers much more freedom to discover and survive the Valle Dorata’s prison underworld.
See all of the additions included within the Free Journey Replace by way of the trailer under, then learn on for insights from Affiliate Design Director Josh Zammit about this free replace for house owners of Mafia: The Previous Nation.
How does Mafia: The Previous Nation’s Free Journey mode name again to, or differ from, previous Free Journey modes?
Free Journey is a callback to the unique Mafia’s Free Journey Excessive, in addition to the Free Journey mode we shipped in Mafia: Definitive Version. It’s a set of Challenges separate from the primary story that give gamers probabilities to revisit the world in a extra self-guided means. Mafia: The Previous Nation’s Free Journey mode shall be barely completely different from earlier titles, but acquainted to returning followers all the identical.
This time, we’ve constructed a number of sorts of repeatable Challenges—together with fight, stealth, and completely different race varieties—in a wide range of new and acquainted areas. Finishing Challenges will earn you the Dinari in-game forex to spend on the brand new outfits, charms, weapons, and autos unlocked by progressing by way of this content material (in addition to on gadgets unlocked by way of the marketing campaign). We’ve additionally included a lot of different contemporary and thrilling options for gamers to sink their enamel into, and I hope followers get pleasure from them.
What’s the very first thing you’d counsel gamers to do once they enter Free Journey mode?
There’s so much to discover on this replace, so gamers may have loads of potential beginning factors. However I’m excited for them to expertise the Valle Dorata in probably the most immersive means attainable, and to me, that’s First-Individual Driving. The very first thing I’d do is spawn my quickest automotive from the storage, activate the First-Individual Driving digital camera, and simply joyride. The brand new Picture Mode is one other much-requested function I believe gamers are going to like. So get on the market, discover some motion and exquisite vistas, and take superb screenshots to share with pals.
Which items of content material are you personally most enthusiastic about?
We’re tremendous happy with the whole lot the workforce has achieved, so I discover it arduous to choose one which I’m most enthusiastic about. I like the races; it’s a ton of enjoyable to drive round our world at excessive velocity within the superb outdated automobiles. There’s a great deal of technical corners, and the higher you get, the extra satisfying they’re to navigate.
The Fight Challenges are nice as effectively. Standoffs push your limits in relation to overtly participating enemies, and Assassinations are enjoyable to experiment with till you nail that good run. There’s one piece of content material I believe gamers are going to seek out particularly intriguing and surprising, although I don’t need to spoil it. Preserve an eye fixed out for notes in Enzo’s condo—one could find yourself revealing one thing cool to analyze.
Past additional Challenges and different added content material, how does this replace improve one’s expertise of the primary marketing campaign?
I’ve already talked about First-Individual Driving as a result of it actually hits in another way, and that’s equally true through the story. Driving round with Cesare in first individual is nice enjoyable, particularly in Chapter 7. It provides to the immersion and appears like dwelling in that second together with your greatest good friend.
Cinema Siciliano is one other incredible technique to expertise Mafia: The Previous Nation. We’ve gone out of our technique to make it really feel such as you’re enjoying a real piece of traditional Italian cinema. The visible therapy is gorgeous and it feels such as you’re experiencing a black-and-white film shot on an old-school sound stage, whereas the vintage-sounding audio convincingly brings the entire thing collectively.
We’ve additionally added Basic Issue, including a brand new diploma of problem and elevating the stakes greater, making for much more cause to take one other crack at Enzo’s journey.
On high of that, all the brand new gadgets you may earn by enjoying Free Journey shall be usable in the primary story marketing campaign.
For brand new gamers, all of those parts shall be current from the beginning, and having them as choices all through the sport goes to be superior. I’d advocate enjoying by way of on one of many authentic difficulties first, however in case you’re assured in your expertise—or simply need to get punished—Basic places them to the final word check.
How does First-Individual Driving change the texture of exploration?
Although it’s one thing the workforce all the time wished to incorporate, that is the primary time we’ve formally supported first-person driving within the franchise. We’re large driving followers, so it was vital to get the small print within the automobiles proper.
By way of the way it impacts exploration, it clearly adjustments the best way you see issues as you drive round immersed extra firmly in Enzo’s sneakers. I’ve spent many hours traversing the Valle Dorata with it now, and nonetheless cease to marvel at particulars I not often observed whereas zooming round in our traditional third-person view. Tackling races in first individual affords one other new technique to check your skills, as mud and smoke from different automobiles add an intense and exhilarating perspective that the indifferent digital camera can’t simply convey.
How does Free Journey mode make use of the sport’s map in ways in which the primary recreation didn’t or couldn’t?
We would like gamers to discover the world in a freeform means, and Free Journey turns it into an expansive hub the place you’ll discover and entry varied Challenges by travelling round, unlocking Hitching Posts, and assembly contacts. Challenges are instanced and accessed by way of these contacts, and doing so will place you right into a fight location or particular world state.
These fight encounters reuse mission areas, so when you’ve performed the corresponding story chapter and unlocked a Problem in Free Journey, you’ll get to re-experience areas in new methods. Races occur out on the planet and we’ve positioned them alongside less-traveled paths, so it ought to be enjoyable seeing components of the map you’ll have beforehand handed by.
In fact, there could also be new locations to discover too, however that’s one thing you’ll have to find for your self…
Mafia: The Previous Nation’s Free Journey Replace is offered November 20, free for all PlayStation 5 gamers. For those who haven’t picked up the sport but, PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers can strive it by way of a Sport Trial starting Friday, November 21.
