Xbox Game Pass just quietly added one of the best open-world adventures

In the early era of copycat open-world crime games, Illusion Softworks mafia stood out as a unique take on the new genre. Rather than adopting the fast-paced action and tongue-in-cheek tone that made the Grand Theft Auto series popular (as many other games did), mafia took a more subdued, simulation-like approach. The result was a crime-adventure that felt far more grown-up than Rockstar's blockbuster series, even if its duller elements turned off players looking for more boisterous fun.

Despite two successful sequels, the 2002 cult classic remained unnoticed for 18 years. Fortunately, developer Hanger 13 (the team behind both mafia sequels) decided to rebuild the first game from the ground up and give it the long-overdue facelift and gameplay update it deserved. And now this extraordinary remake is making its Game Pass debut.

Mafia: Definitive Edition is a lavishly produced remake that stays completely faithful to the original game from Illusion Softworks. Players take on the role of Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver from the fictional town of Lost Heaven, struggling to survive during the Great Depression. A chance encounter puts him in touch with members of the Salieri crime family. Rather than being terrified by the villains who nearly cost him his life, Angelo uses the encounter as an opportunity to lift himself out of poverty. Working his way up the Salieri family, Angelo tells the story of the syndicate's meteoric rise and its inevitable catastrophic collapse.

Like the original, mafia: Final Edition tells one of the medium’s most diverse and sophisticated stories. mafia does nothing you haven't seen in classic Italian gangster films, but tells an emotional, exquisitely written story throughout its 11-hour runtime. The original game's script has been further improved in this remake, as Hanger 13 has re-recorded all of the game's dialogue with an entirely new voice cast, complete with motion capture for all cutscenes. In many ways, Mafia: Definitive Edition it feels like Hanger 13 finally lives up to what Illusion Softworks set out to do over two decades ago.

As for the gameplay, Mafia: Definitive Edition also retains the controversial open-world simulation of the original. As players drive through the New York and Chicago-inspired city of Lost Heaven, they are expected to obey the law or face consequences. For example, if the police catch you running a red light or going over the speed limit, they will try to pull you over. Failure to comply will trigger a chase through the city. More serious crimes are met with harsher consequences. Gunfights are standard third-person shooters, and are just as tough for players who aren't careful.

While these punishing features can be turned off in the remake, I highly recommend players give these classic mechanics a chance. It may sound oppressive to people used to the more lighthearted, murderous approach of other games, but what these mechanics do for player immersion is unlike anything else in the genre. mafia never tried to be a GTA clone, and thankfully Hanger 13 didn't shy away from Illusion Softworks' original vision.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the open-world design. Mafia: Definitive EditionLost Heaven's version is one of the most beautiful urban environments ever created for a game. The streets are bustling with traffic and pedestrian traffic, weather effects like snowfall seem realistic, and the buildings are incredibly detailed inside and out.

But Lost Heaven isn't packed with activities and side missions. Aside from some optional taxi missions and races, the city serves as a central world where players can drive around between linear story missions. In this way, Mafia: Definitive Edition is more like Mass Effect 2 than it is Sleeping dogs or Grand Theft Auto V

The reduced scope of Mafia: Definitive Edition is what sets it apart from its contemporaries. While other open-world games aim to overwhelm the player with optional content and meaningless freedom, the remake of Hanger 13 is an antithesis to the bloated bulk that plagues the genre today. The game puts all of its efforts into delivering a Scorsese-inspired mafioso story and creating a compelling, immersive city set during the golden age of American organized crime. For players looking for a slower, more mature alternative to games like Saints Row or Grand Theft Auto, Mafia: Definitive Edition is a must-play adventure that is worth trying out.

Mafia: Definitive Edition will be available on Xbox Game Pass starting August 13th.