Mafia II - The Buzzsaw

Lore & Background

Set within the fictional city of Empire Bay from 1945 to 1951, the story follows Vito Scaletta, a young Sicilian-American mobster and war veteran, who becomes caught in a power struggle among the city's Mafia crime families while attempting to pay back his father's debts and secure a better lifestyle.

Reader's Guide

The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The player character's criminal activities may incite a response from law enforcement agencies, measured by a 'wanted' system that governs the aggression of their response. The core gameplay revolves around shooting and driving; a limited melee combat system is also included. There are 50 era-accurate vehicles in the game as well as licensed music. The game features three different in-game radio stations (Empire Central Radio, Empire Classic Radio, and Delta Radio) with licensed music, news, and commercials.

Did You Know?

• Development began in 2003, soon after the release of the first Mafia game.
• A version of the game including all previously released downloadable content, entitled Mafia II: Director's Cut, was released by Feral Interactive in December 2011.
• A sequel, Mafia III, developed by 2K Czech's successor Hangar 13, was published in October 2016.
• Mafia II: Definitive Edition (a remastered version of the game co-developed by d3t and Hangar 13) was released by 2K on 19 May 2020.
• Some characters from Mafia II reappear as young versions of themselves in a prequel game, Mafia: The Old Country, released in August 2025.