Mafia: The Old Country vs Cronos: The New Dawn

• Perspective: Third-Person
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Sicily, Italy (Early 20th Century)
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
• Unique Feature: A prequel story exploring the origins of the Mafia in a highly authentic, early 20th-century Sicilian setting, with a deliberate focus on linear, cinematic storytelling.

• Perspective: Third-Person
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Post-Apocalyptic Future & 1980s Poland
• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, macOS
• Unique Feature: A unique 'Merging' mechanic where enemies can absorb corpses to evolve mid-combat, combined with a time-travel narrative and environmental puzzles.

• Family Members: The game is a single-player experience. Key members of the Teresi crime family, like Luca or Enzo's best friend Chesare, will accompany him on specific missions, providing fire support and narrative dialogue.
  Human (AI)

• Essences: Extracted from key 'targets' in the 1980s. These are the main story objective and provide gameplay perks, but also contribute to the Traveler's madness.
• Audio Logs and Text Files: Found throughout the environment. They are the primary source of environmental storytelling, piecing together the history of the world and 'The Change'.

• Organized Crime
• Mafia
• Early 20th Century
• Sicily
• Prequel
• Narrative-Driven
• Honor & Betrayal
• Period Drama
• Revenge

• Survival Horror
• Sci-Fi
• Time Travel
• Alternate History
• Psychological Horror
• Post-Apocalyptic
• Polish History (1980s)

• Revolvers: Sidearms
  The standard sidearm of the era, providing reliable damage with a slow rate of fire.
• Repeater Rifles: Long Guns
  Lever-action rifles that offer good accuracy and power at medium to long range.
• Shotguns: Close-Quarters
  Includes double-barreled and sawed-off 'Lupara' variants, which are devastatingly powerful at point-blank range.
• Knives: Melee Weapon
  Used in the new one-on-one knife fight duel system. Different knives can be acquired that offer unique buffs, but their durability must be maintained with consumable wet stones.
• Fuse Bombs: Throwable
  The game's equivalent of grenades, used for clearing enemies out of cover.

• Morphing Handgun: Primary Firearm
  The Traveler's main weapon. It is a handgun that can be upgraded with different modules, such as a shotgun attachment, to alter its function.
• Melee Attack: Emergency Melee
  A slow, clunky punch and stomp finisher. Primarily used in emergencies or on downed enemies due to its high risk and low speed.
• Suit Flamethrower: Utility / Weapon
  A built-in flamethrower with severely limited fuel. Its primary purpose is to burn enemy corpses to prevent the 'Merging' mechanic, but it can also be used as a weapon.

• Traveler's Suit: A heavy, space-suit-like attire that can be upgraded to improve its integrity (health) and increase inventory space. As the Traveler collects Essences, the suit becomes haunted, leading to psychological effects.

Progression is based on resource scarcity and crafting. Players use scavenged 'Energy' to upgrade the Traveler's health, suit, and weapons at workstations. A key element is the psychological impact of collecting 'Essences,' which haunts the Traveler's suit and can lead to a descent into madness, but also provides gameplay perks.

The game is not a traditional open world. It features meticulously crafted levels that intricately weave between future wastelands and the historically-based Nowa Huta district of 1980s Poland. The design uses a puzzle-like, non-linear structure with narrative branches and a time-loop mechanic.

• Early 20th Century Automobiles: Car
  Players can drive a variety of authentic cars from the Edwardian era. The driving mechanics are grounded in realism, with a 'simulation' mode available. Car chases are a key feature.
• Horses: Mount
  Reflecting the time period, horses and horse-drawn carriages are a common mode of transportation and can be used in thrilling chases.

• Enzo Favara: Playable Protagonist
  A young Sicilian who escapes the sulfur mines to join the Teresi crime family, seeking a life of freedom and respect.
• Don Bernardo Teresi: Head of the Teresi Family
  The soft-spoken but powerful Don who takes Enzo in. Voiced by Johnny Santgo.
• Tino: Consigliere
  The cynical and chilling advisor to Don Teresi. Voiced by Anthony Scorty.
• Luca: Mentor
  A member of the Teresi family who acts as Enzo's kindly mentor, guiding him through his new life in the Mafia.
• Isabella: Love Interest
  Don Teresi's daughter and a forbidden love interest for Enzo, adding personal stakes and conflict to the narrative.
• Don Ruggero Spadaro: Antagonist
  The ruthless head of the rival Spadaro crime family who controls the sulfur mines.

• The Traveler: Playable Protagonist
  A woman with no clear past, tasked by a mysterious AI to travel back in time to 1980s Poland and 'salvage' the essences of the dead.
• The Collective: Key NPC / Antagonist?
  A creepy AI from a future society that administers cognitive tests and gives the Traveler her missions. Its true motives are unknown.
• The Orphans: Enemies
  The grotesque monstrosities that were once human, transformed by the catastrophic 'Change'. They come in various forms, including runners, rangers, and bruisers.

• Main Story Chapters
  A cinematic, chapter-based story that follows Enzo Favara's rise and disillusionment within the Teresi crime family, featuring dramatic set pieces, betrayals, and high-stakes shootouts.
• Explore Mode
  An optional mode separate from the main narrative that allows players to freely roam the hub world and find collectibles. It is planned to receive more content via post-launch updates.

• Main Story Quests
  A non-linear, puzzle-like campaign that follows the Traveler's mission to salvage the 'Essences' of key individuals from 1980s Poland before they perish in 'The Change'. Player choices can lead to branching paths and multiple endings.
• Environmental Puzzles
  A recurring objective involving the use of the time rift mechanic to manipulate the environment, alongside classic survival horror puzzles like finding fuses or keycodes to progress.

The game is available in a Standard Edition ($59.99) and a Deluxe Edition ($69.99). The Deluxe Edition includes 48-hour early access, a starter pack of in-game resources and ammo, unique armor skins, a digital artbook, and the original soundtrack.

• Q: What is Mafia: The Old Country?
  A: It is a new, standalone prequel to the Mafia series, set in early 1900s Sicily. It is a linear, story-driven action-adventure game focused on cinematic storytelling.
• Q: Is it open world like Mafia 3?
  A: No. While it is set in a large world, the game structure is linear like the original Mafia. The world serves as a backdrop for the story missions rather than a sandbox for player-driven activities.
• Q: How long is the game?
  A: The main story is approximately 8 to 12 hours long, and up to 20 hours for 100% completion. Replayability is limited.
• Q: Is there a crime system like in GTA?
  A: No, the game does not feature a police response or 'wanted' system, which is a departure from previous Mafia titles but is considered historically accurate for the setting.

• Q: What is Cronos: The New Dawn?
  A: It is a third-person survival horror game from Bloober Team, the creators of The Medium and Layers of Fear. It blends tactical, resource-scarce combat with a time-travel narrative set between a post-apocalyptic future and 1980s Poland.
• Q: What is the 'Merging' mechanic?
  A: It's a unique system where if you don't burn the corpses of defeated enemies, other living enemies can absorb them to evolve into stronger, faster, and deadlier versions mid-combat.
• Q: Is it a 'walking simulator' like other Bloober Team games?
  A: No. This game marks a significant shift for the developer into a more action-driven, tactical survival horror experience with deep combat and resource management, inspired by games like Dead Space and Resident Evil.
• Q: How does time travel work in the game?
  A: Players can shoot 'time rifts' in the environment to rewind or reconstruct parts of a level. This is used to solve environmental puzzles, clear obstacles, and open new pathways.

• OFFICIAL AND EXTRAPOLATED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for Mafia: The Old Country. This information is based on the official PC specifications from developer Hangar 13, adapted to the requested JSON structure. As a visually ambitious title built on Unreal Engine 5, the requirements are significant, especially for higher settings and resolutions. Laptop and future-generation GPU listings are extrapolated based on performance benchmarks.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop versions of the listed desktop GPUs require comparable performance, which is highly dependent on the laptop's TGP (Total Graphics Power) and thermal design. For a narrative-driven, open-world game like Mafia: The Old Country, a well-cooled laptop with a powerful CPU and a high-TGP GPU is crucial for a stable and immersive experience.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: A high TGP is essential to prevent GPU throttling and maintain a consistent framerate while rendering the detailed Sicilian environments.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Unreal Engine 5 can heavily tax both the CPU and GPU. A robust cooling system is necessary to prevent thermal throttling during long gameplay sessions and in graphically dense areas.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A strong CPU with good power delivery is important for handling the game's world streaming, physics, and AI without creating a bottleneck for the GPU.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is highly recommended to minimize system latency and ensure the smoothest possible gameplay experience.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: The game supports a full suite of upscaling technologies, including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS, with Frame Generation available on supported hardware. The official specs note that these technologies are used to achieve target performance levels.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: As a UE5 title, performance will be most affected by settings like Global Illumination (Lumen), Shadows, and View Distance. The 'Epic' preset is noted to be extremely demanding.
• Game Name: Mafia: The Old Country

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. These specifications reflect the demands of the Unreal Engine 5 build.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop performance will vary based on the specific model's cooling and TGP. The game's detailed environments and intense combat can be demanding, so a modern gaming laptop is advised.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features and maintain stable framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and potential for sudden, intense combat encounters require a robust cooling system to prevent thermal throttling.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A strong mobile CPU is important for handling the complex AI and physics calculations without bottlenecks.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is beneficial for reducing input latency, which is helpful for the game's deliberate combat.
• Game Name: Cronos: The New Dawn

• Upscaling Tech: The game supports a full suite of upscaling technologies, including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS, with Frame Generation available on supported hardware. The official specs note that these technologies are used to achieve target performance levels.
• Key Settings Impact: As a UE5 title, performance will be most affected by settings like Global Illumination (Lumen), Shadows, and View Distance. The 'Epic' preset is noted to be extremely demanding.

• G P U T G P: A high TGP is essential to prevent GPU throttling and maintain a consistent framerate while rendering the detailed Sicilian environments.
• Cooling Thermals: Unreal Engine 5 can heavily tax both the CPU and GPU. A robust cooling system is necessary to prevent thermal throttling during long gameplay sessions and in graphically dense areas.
• C P U Power Limits: A strong CPU with good power delivery is important for handling the game's world streaming, physics, and AI without creating a bottleneck for the GPU.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is highly recommended to minimize system latency and ensure the smoothest possible gameplay experience.

• G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features and maintain stable framerates.
• Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and potential for sudden, intense combat encounters require a robust cooling system to prevent thermal throttling.
• C P U Power Limits: A strong mobile CPU is important for handling the complex AI and physics calculations without bottlenecks.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is beneficial for reducing input latency, which is helpful for the game's deliberate combat.