Game Description: Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily.
Platforms: Steam/Xbox/PS5 Genre: Single player – Action Adventure
Role: Principal Mission Designer (Contractor) Date: Nov 2023 – Dec 2024
When I first began my contract at Hangar 13, I needed to deepen my understanding not only of the MTOC project but also of the broader MAFIA franchise. To help me get started and become familiar with the game’s lore and mechanics, I was assigned to collaborate with Chris Reed on his mission titled “Prologue.”
My focus was on the stealth-oriented section (08:49 to 13:15), in which Enzo and Gaetano must steal food from the Spadaros. This sequence served as the introductory stealth section for players. Its objectives were as follows:
Narrative: Illustrate the difficult circumstances of the time while highlighting Enzo’s resourcefulness and perseverance as a character. This section also introduces some of the main antagonists.
Mechanical: Introduce players to the core stealth mechanics and convey how physically overmatched Enzo is compared to those who control the mines.
Personal: Familiarise myself with the studio’s pipeline and the project’s workflow. Learn the tools in use and evaluate opportunities for improvement from a design perspective.
Once I understood my objectives, I made sure to coordinate with all relevant team members and set up clear documentation that everyone could access and collaborate on regarding my design plans.
The setting for the mission was a sulphur mine, so my first step was to gather as many references as possible to ensure consistency with the Art team’s vision, while also identifying gameplay opportunities that would be engaging for players.
When the project reached Alpha, the location was handed over to Chris so he could develop the chapter as a whole. Some changes were made from the original design, but I believe we all contributed to creating an interesting and compelling space.
Moving on from the Prologue, I would like to present the mission on which I had the second most significant impact. Chapter 6 was assigned to me as part of a broader effort to balance the workload among all Mission Designers. I inherited it from Jean-Baptiste Rachail.
This meant that I took over some of the designs that had already been planned by JB, while other parts of the mission were handed to me as a blank slate.
Once the wheels were in motion, my first responsibility was to read through all the documentation to understand the overall themes and objectives of the mission, as well as to identify the team members I would be collaborating with. I developed strong working relationships with the team, including:
Chris Hicks – Writer
James Lago – Principal Environment Artist
Alixia – Senior Narrative Designer
Dario Estrada – Lighting Artist
And many other talented developers.
After completing our research, we were informed that the Town Hall could not be modified, as it served as a direct reference to the opening mission of Mafia II. Directors also wanted to approach not only from another time period but having the main focus on Stealth. Which was a huge contrast from the locations first apperance.
The mission is primarily divided into two main locations, along with a few tertiary areas:
The Tannery
Town Hall (Day and Night)
Enzo’s Apartment
The Tannery serves as an introduction to the location, which players revisit in Chapter 8. It also acts as a more narrative-driven space, featuring one of the major cutscenes and focusing on the “walk and talk” mechanics commonly used in the Mafia series.
Town Hall: This is where the majority of the mission takes place. The location needed to support both the daytime “recon” phase—where players learn the inner workings of the Mafia while searching for our informant and gathering intel on the forger—and the nighttime infiltration, where players must stealthily bypass guards to free the forger.
Due to the scale of the area, I designed multiple paths and approaches to give players choice in how they tackled the mission. This allowed for different outcomes and player experiences depending on the chosen route. In addition to the layout and lighting shifts between day and night, the change in population helps reinforce the evolving state of the world across the two phases.
You will see in this video, this player has taken a different stealth route vs the previous video.
Chapter 14 was my primary focus for the majority of my time at Hangar 13. This mission was originally conceived as two separate chapters. The section in which players assume the role of Isabella was designed by Jonny Wilson.
For the conclusion of the game, we aimed to bring players back to the mines, the place where the story began. The primary design challenge was striking a balance between revisiting familiar locations and repurposing them for new gameplay, while also introducing fresh elements to test the player’s mastery.
The incredible team members I worked closely with on this mission were:
Jan Fidler – Snr Enviro Artist
Jonny Wilson – Snr Mission Designer
Radim – Lead VFX Artist
Scarlett Sinclair – Snr Writter
Paul Mukhamdzianov – Snr Lighting Artist
And many other great devs.
There were three primary locations in total, with the main focus on the mines, which themselves contained multiple distinct arenas and environments.
Valentina’s house and the train station were more heavily focused on cutscenes, so it was important to ensure that the journey between these locations still delivered meaningful impact. This could be something as subtle as a tender moment of vulnerability shared between Enzo and Isabella, or a sequence that heightened tension as they attempted to evade Torrisi’s thugs. All while the looming presence of the volcano served as a symbolic reminder of Don Torrisi’s ever-present threat.
Once players entered the mines, our goal was to challenge them while gradually building a sense of hope, even as we stripped Enzo of his mechanical power and arsenal. At the same time, we aimed to remind players of Enzo’s origins and reinforce the idea that, despite everything he and the player had accomplished, he would always be seen by others. Even those he considered family, as nothing more than a Cruso.
To deliver the final combat challenges, Enzo would descend deeper and deeper into the mines, forcing players to rebuild their arsenal and adapt to fighting from a disadvantaged position. These sequences offered powerful moments, including combat set against the dramatic backdrop of an active volcanic eruption.
As with any development process, there were challenges and changes along the way. However, I believe we achieved a strong result with the resources available, and I have seen many players respond positively to the game’s ending. Numerous talented developers contributed to this mission, helping to make it a memorable and impactful conclusion.