Mafia: Definitive Edition has received its first substantial patch, adding more content and a variety of gameplay tweaks.
The biggest new feature is Noir Mode, which allows the whole game to be played through in the style of a vintage black-and-white Noir film. Noir Mode affects both gameplay and cutscenes to create a new immersive experience, and can be turned on and off at any point in the options menu.
According to a press release from Hangar 13, Free Ride, which allows players to venture around the game’s city without the need to interact with the story narrative, has alos received new features. “[D]epending on which vehicle you’re driving and where you’re driving it, you might find one of a couple new gameplay features that we’ve added to the mode,” the developer noted.
Elsewhere, a variety of customisable HUD options have been added. After downloading the update, the in-game objective marker can be turned on or off, enemy markers on the map can be turned off or on, navigation features can be disabled if wanted, and a new minimal HUD mode will hide invasive elements if enabled.
Finally, a couple of bugs have been addressed. They range from unlocking the correct vehiclesupon completion of the optional Lucas Bertone missions to an error that prevented the triggering of a special assassination animation in ‘The Saint and The Sinner’ mission.
NME’s Puah Ziwei recently called Mafia: Definitive Edition “the best way to (re)experience the original Mafia story”, while noting that the game still features “old-school gameplay elements and [an] aging framework” in a three-and-a-half star review.