You can see the devs had a vision and wanted to create something huge. But they miscalculated and failed at the core gameplay mechanics. There is not much to do outside of missions. The open world is meaningless - I think a semi linear world suits the mafia series much better. After all this is how this series started. In Mafia III you get to do too much of the same things over and over again. Worst part is that what you get to do is not much fun. Guns have no impact and side missions have no variety. You even visit the same places multiple times and sometimes it doesnt even make any sense. I'd say over 50% of the actual gameplay is unnecessary grindy work. Which should've been cut out. Apart from that you get to enjoy a fabolous soundtrack, a great character design with so much depth and detail, superb voice acting and a really good story. I love the cutscenes they are my favorite! The graphics are nice, the game has its unique vibes. If you don't mind the grind (and there is a lot of boring grind) get it for the story and the atmosphere.
The music, the art art style, the gameplay... Everything about this game is lovely designed and made with so much passion. I recommend buying this even if it's not on sale. IMO it is worth the full price. The puzzles are awesome, the platforming feels great. I absolutely love the way the game lets you progress, you get tons of upgrades and new skills after completing challenges. And if you love exploring and going abroad the usual path, just do it. It's like the developer exactly knew what you were looking for and rewards you with an upgrade or some extra coins. Seriously: I loved every second of this gem. It is one of my favourite games of all time! TLDR: If you like Zelda, Mario, Portal or looking for that special feeling of your childhood (I'm a 90s kid) you won't regret buying this!
