Summary
- Mafia: The Old Country is the first Mafia game that is set outside of the U.S., offering a new scenic location of early 20th-century Italy.
- Italy's scenic landscapes and rich history provide great material for engaging narratives and gameplay, as seen in various titles like Assassin's Creed 2.
- Video game settings like Renaissance Italy in Assassin's Creed and Martha is Dead offer unique perspectives, blending historical events and fictional experiences creatively.
Mafia: The Old Country is taking an interesting new direction for the series. As a prequel, it not only provides a new time period but also a new location. For the first time, a Mafia game is being made that does not take place in the United States. Instead, we get the more scenic location of early 20th-century Italy. In particular, it focuses on Sicily and promises to take full advantage of the setting.
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Just from the trailers, it is clear that there is a massive difference from its predecessors, such as the urban environments of previous games being discarded in favor of wide-open countryside. Italy has a lot of potential to be a great setting for a video game, as can be seen in quite a few titles. Its scenic landscapes and rich history offer a lot of great material for engaging stories and exciting gameplay. When Mafia: The Old Country releases, it will be in good company.
Assassin's Creed 2 & Brotherhood
The Italian Renaissance
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
- Released
- November 16, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
After the commercial success of the original game, Assassin's Creed made the jump to a new location and time period, moving from medieval Syria to the Italian Renaissance. It also introduced Ezio Auditore, now perhaps one of the most iconic Italian heroes ever. And it was here that the series really started to take shape. Both AC2 and its follow-up, Brotherhood, follow Ezio's adventures as he clashes with the real-life Borgia family, a noble line infamous for their corruption and relentless pursuit of power.
These games take full advantage of their Italian settings, both in terms of gameplay (i.e., bringing in early firearms) and encounters with actual historical figures and events. Aside from the Borgias, players will get to meet some big names like the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci, and the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Enotria: The Last Song
Trapped In Italian Theater
Enotria: The Last Song
- Released
- September 16, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Jyamma Games
- Publisher(s)
- Jyamma Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Technically, this cult favorite soulslike is set in a fantasy world, but that world is so obviously based on Renaissance-era Italy that it wouldn't be right to ignore it. The game is advertised as taking inspiration from Italian folklore, but the influence runs much deeper than that. There's some clear aesthetic influence in terms of the architecture and costuming, but it also makes the interesting decision to tap into Italy's theatrical history.
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The whole premise of the game centers around the world being trapped in an endless play, with all of its inhabitants playing characters. One particularly noteworthy aspect is the game's emphasis on masks. Every "actor" in the play wears a mask that wouldn't be out of place at the Venetian Carnival, and the player can collect them to get access to unique abilities. This game takes full advantage of its Italian inspiration to create a very unusual experience even for soulslikes.
The Forgotten City
From Tamriel To The Tiber
The Forgotten City
- Released
- July 28, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
The Forgotten City may have originated as a Skyrim mod, but the developers made an interesting decision when remaking it as a standalone game. They couldn't use Tamriel, so they decided to relocate their game to the Tiber River and tap into its rich history as the center of the Roman Empire. The player starts in modern-day Italy but quickly gets sent back in time to the days of Emperor Nero, shortly after the Great Fire of Rome (64 CE), to a mysterious city whose inhabitants are trapped under the tyrannical authority of the so-called "Golden Rule."
The result is an immersive game with a small but thoroughly researched open world that offers a pretty impressive glimpse into the everyday lives of Romans, something helped by its prioritizing of exploration and character interaction over combat. That's also mixed with a curious mystery about the city and commentary on how civilizations build atop one another.
Isonzo
The Italian Front
Isonzo
- Released
- September 13, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BlackMill Games, M2H
- Publisher(s)
- BlackMill Games, M2H
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
After the success of their previous WWI shooters Verdun and Tannenberg, Blackmill followed up with a game taking inspiration from another theater of the infamous war. The Isonzo River, which crosses the border of Northern Italy and Slovenia, became the site of twelve major battles fought between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies, which led to heavy casualties and neither side gaining much of anything.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, Isonzo is a multiplayer shooter that strives to get as close as a video game can possibly get to accurately replicating the experience. Players can join the Italian or Austro-Hungarian militaries, where they are equipped with weapons of the era and sent into the brutal meatgrinder that is the First World War to complete objectives without dying.
Martha Is Dead
A Civilian's Perspective
Martha Is Dead
- Released
- February 24, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Martha is Dead is a surreal walking simulator centered around the trauma experienced by a girl named Julia after her twin sister unexpectedly turns up dead. A lot of the game centers around her deteriorating mental health, leading to hallucinations and strange experiences that blur the lines between dream and reality. But one particularly interesting detail is the decision to set it in Italy, in 1944.
Italy is at the point where it would have been caught between the Italian and German militaries' defensive efforts and the encroaching Allied Invasion. This gives Martha is Dead a unique perspective, as it's a rare example of a war game that puts players in the shoes of a civilian instead of a soldier. It makes for an especially disturbing experience as history is mixed with Julia's increasingly subjective experiences.
Sniper Elite 4
Sticking It To Mussolini
Sniper Elite 4
- Released
- February 13, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Publisher(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
The Sniper Elite series takes place across various theaters of World War II, so it's not much of a surprise that the fourth game decided to focus on the Italian campaign, a series of battles between 1943 and 1945 that ultimately brought down Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. And in typical Sniper Elite fashion, Italy becomes a playground for experimenting with creative ways to thwart both the Nazi and Italian forces. Each section gives protagonist Karl Fairburne a new location, often surrounded by the scenic Italian countryside, where he's left to figure out the particulars of his mission.
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How he completes them is up to the player, but there's no shortage of ways to create mayhem in the fascist ranks, and players can even team up in co-op for maximum carnage. One way or another, Karl acts as a huge thorn in Mussolini's side.
Wheels Of Aurelia
Retro Road Trip In The Italian Countryside
Wheels of Aurelia 1978
- Released
- September 20, 2016
- ESRB
- T // Sexual Themes, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco
- Genre(s)
- Indie, Adventure
Wheels of Aurelia is a curious indie game centered around a road trip through 1970s Italy. The main plot centers around Lella and Olga, two women trying to get to France, with a few unexpected turns along the way. Driving is part of the game, and some odd side quests can be picked up, but the primary focus is on dialogue. A lot of the game features Lella and Olga talking, with the player being able to choose from multiple dialogue options while driving. And there's also the occasional hitchhiker she can pick up on the way.
To help further immerse the player, a lot of the conversations are centered around controversial topics of the era. Birth control, feminism, fascism, and even the Mafia are all subjects Lella can be asked about and provide opinions on. These responses can also affect how the overall story plays out, leading to sixteen different possible endings.
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