Mafia 3 Interview: What Defines Lincoln Clay, And Explaining The Setting And Gameplay

Mafia 3 creative director Haden Blackman was on hand to shed more light on the story of protagonist Lincoln Clay, as well as the game’s setting and open world.

Lincoln is defined by his need to find family, a place to belong to. He was an orphan, and sought family in the army in the Vietnam war, and afterwards, the black mafia, which connects him to the Italian mafia. Working into that is his mixed race heritage, which leaves him wondering where he truly belongs. The game is ultimately a revenge tale, not a heroic narrative, but Clay is more than a one track mind Duke Nukem.

Blackman made it very clear that the world inMafia 3 is inspired by, but not actually set in, 1960s to 1970s New Orleans. This presumably gives them leeway to enter controversial ground, because instead of entering the blaxploitation territory,  Mafia 3 seems poised to recreate the world of 1960s black crime. It may have to work with game design limitations, but there has been such a huge need for a depiction of this setting without sentimentality or kitsch.

Gameplay wise, Mafia 3 has several systems layered on top of each other. There are combat, stealth, interrogation, and vehicular combat systems, which you can ease in and out of. Blackman also promises a narrative defining morality system, the kind usually associated with Bioware games, but also with more leeway. After all, in the end, Lincoln’s narrative won’t change much. He’ll still be a Vietnam vet with a grudge against the mafia.

Mafia 3 is slated for release on the PC, Xbox One and PS4 in 2016.