'Mafia 3' Is Taking On A Monumental Challenge

We just got out first look at Mafia 3, and the series looks to be shaking things up. We’re not in the comfortable world of fedoras and pinstripes any more: we’re in 1968 New Orleans, a tumultuous moment that informs Mafia 3′s nastier take on organized crime with societal change and rampant racism. The trailer shows us our new protagonist: a half-black, half-white Vietnam war veteran with a not-terrible Louisiana drawl. He’s driving through the swamp on the outskirts of the city to take care of some business for his family.

That 1968 New Orleans is a tricky subject is no secret. The city is busier You’re dealing with an overt version of the racism and violence that still defines the city in many ways, both of which have become national news as people bring more and more attention to the nationwide police brutality against black men. 1968 is history, in a lot of ways, but it’s also frighteningly present. The game doesn’t look like it’s going to shy away from any of these issues, which is encouraging, if a little dangerous. Even the best of intentions often fly way off the mark, and there are no simple answers here.

New Orleans and Louisiana have spent a whole lot of time on screen recently, in everything from Duck Dynasty to American Horror Story, Treme and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Everyone seems to fall into the same trap of reverence and romanticism that utterly loses sight of either reality or anything actually interesting. Could Mafia 3 manage to capture that complex mess in a way that doesn’t feel hackneyed or simplistic? It’s not impossible. A focus on violence and racism at least doesn’t promise to smooth over the rough edges. Open world games, when done right, can capture a certain concept of setting that very few other media can, and maybe that’s actually the best way to present this material. Like I said, it’s not impossible, even if it does always seem unlikely.


Of course, even if Hangar 13 manages the massive task create an interesting, nuanced and successful depiction of 1968 New Orleans without decaying into decades-old stereotypes, along with an engaging story that makes use of that setting in a fresh and interesting way, the gameplay still might not be any good. Man, am I glad I’m not a game developer.