Mafia III Sign of the Times DLC Review

Developer: Hangar 13
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PC (reviewed), PS4, Xbox One
Released: July 25, 2017
Copy provided by publisher

Mafia III has released it’s final story DLC and it finishes on a high note.  Each piece of story DLC has had it’s own unique tone and this one does not let down.  Sign of the Times takes place some time after the main story as Father James tries to help Lincoln find some closure.  But instead, they get caught up in the mess of a deranged cult.  Lincoln does what he does best and solves the mystery in this own brutal way.  It’s a bit like that show Dexter.

Don’t blame my misunderstanding when you speak in metaphors.

With the new addition of slow-mo shooting and throwing knives, the combat system repertoire increases another dimension.  When you finally get a grasp of it all, everything clicks.  I generally begin with stealth to thin out the numbers, and then move onto the more brutal hands-on approach which is the coup de grace.  A slow advance toward the enemy from cover-to-cover when they are busy reloading.  Performing brutal takedowns to instill fear into their buddies to continue the chain of assault.  It great fun, and makes you feel powerful.

Lightning strikes as you take out the last enemy.  A nice touch.

As with the previous story DLCs, Hangar 13 added smaller sidequest missions you could go after if you didn’t have your fill of the game.  I appreciate the design of these in that the placement is after the meaty narrative portion and not padded in-between.  It’s one of the boons of being a DLC piece instead of a full-fledged game which incidentally makes it’s more palatable.

These cult members simply don’t know who they’re up against.

Mafia III Sign of the Times DLC’s playtime clocks in at a similar time as the previous two while adding some new gameplay features and a nice additional story, and a few unlockables.  If you’ve already played and enjoyed Mafia III, then you know what to expect and should pick this one up.  If you haven’t, then now is the best time since all story DLCs have been released, the main game can be found at a discount, and you can experience the entire thing in one go.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

My Playtime (estimated): 5 hours.  I played through it more than once.  Reloading certain missions to try different approaches.  Players should expect two solid hours of play and more if you are involved in rebuilding Sammy’s place.  Played on PC in 60fps with latest drivers and experienced no problems.

I did not review Mafia III, but I have beaten it completely and would give it a solid 8 out of 10 (a point lower is not unreasonable).  Backed up by a solid story, soundtrack and characters, but bogged down by repetitive mission design.  With some dedicated changes, Mafia IV has the potential to enter the 9-score tier.  I just hope it doesn’t take 6 years to see another entry.