Bloody Hell, Enzo! Why Mafia: The Old Country Forgot the 'Zero' Bit That Made KCD So Brilliant
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff dives into why *Mafia: The Old Country*'s protagonist, Enzo, feels a bit too 'chosen' with his instant mastery of skills, starkly contrasting it with *Kingdom Come: Deliverance*'s Henry, whose genuine struggles create a far more compelling and immersive player journey.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're about to cast a super-complicated spell, you mumble the incantation, and then *poof* – it just works perfectly, no fuss, no epic struggle, you're just suddenly a legendary wizard? Yeah, well, that's kinda how I've been looking at the chatter around *Mafia: The Old Country* lately, particularly when people start comparing its protagonist, Enzo Favara, to the beloved Henry of Skalitz from *Kingdom Come: Deliverance*.
Now, at first glance, the premise for both lads sounds suspiciously similar, doesn't it? Young bloke, fresh out of a truly horrifying situation (sulfur mines for Enzo, village massacre for Henry), no home, no family, skint, and suddenly thrust into a harsh, historically-rich European world. Sounds like a cracking setup for some serious character development, a journey from absolute zero to, well, *something*, right? A chance to really feel that grind, that struggle, that eventual triumph. But while Henry's story had me hooked faster than a goblin to a gold coin, Enzo's, according to some clever folk, might have missed a trick bigger than a dragon's hoard, and it all boils down to how he handles that 'zero' starting point.
See, the original article I’ve been tinkering with all morning, from Polygon, points out that *Mafia: The Old Country* kinda… forgets to make Enzo, you know, *bad* at anything. Our lad Enzo, freshly escaped from a life of forced labour in Sicilian sulfur mines – a place I reckon isn't exactly a finishing school for elite assassins – immediately starts showing off. One-on-one knife fight with a seasoned mafioso? No worries, Enzo handles it. Sneaking past a whole squad of criminals mere hours later? Piece of cake, apparently. And this isn't some one-off beginner's luck, mate. Enzo keeps this up, single-handedly taking down entire gangs like he's been training for it his whole life. Don Torrisi, the big boss, wants this one-man army on his side? Yeah, no kidding, who wouldn't want a bloke who's essentially a walking, talking cheat code?
And it doesn't stop there, does it? Oh no. A horse race pops up? Don's jockey is out, but Enzo, the former mine grunt, casually steps in and wins. A *car race*? Guess who bags that trophy? Enzo. Baron's son needs rescuing from a massive enemy camp? Send in Enzo, he'll sort it. Car won't start? Enzo touches it, and it purrs like a kitten. And get this – the lad spent his entire youth in a sulfur mine, a place known for *not* exactly focusing on literacy, but he can read just fine. Fair dinkum, I'm starting to think Enzo might actually be a digital wizard in disguise, accidentally casting 'Maximum Proficiency' on himself at every turn. It’s like the game decided, "Why build a character arc when you can just make him instantly legendary?" Which, while fun for a bit, kinda deflates the whole 'struggle against the odds' vibe, doesn't it?
Now, let's swing over to Henry of Skalitz, our good old peasant boy. Bless his cotton socks, Henry starts as an absolute, undeniable clutz. You remember trying to save that lass at the start of *Kingdom Come: Deliverance*? I certainly do – got myself pummelled into the dirt within seconds. Tried a tourney shortly after? Wrecked. Went back to my village, hoping to reclaim a lost sword, ran into bandits? Didn't last two seconds. It was humbling, mate. Genuinely, truly humbling. And that's exactly why it was so brilliant.
Warhorse Studios knew what they were doing. A teenage blacksmith's son, even with a bit of secret sword training, isn't going to be a medieval John Wick. He can't read, he's got no money, his speech skills are terrible, and his charm is non-existent. But as a player, that weakness felt *real*. It meant every tiny victory, every successfully landed blow, every lesson learned, felt earned. You felt like you were genuinely growing with Henry, transforming him from an incompetent peasant into… well, still a bit of a scrapper, but a *competent* scrapper, capable of surviving the brutal 14th-century Bohemia. The world felt raw, dangerous, and realistic precisely because *you* weren't an instant hero.
And it's not just about physical skills, either. The original article rightly points out the emotional difference. Henry's parents are murdered, and he's haunted by nightmares, constantly talking about his ruined home, trying to help other survivors. Enzo, after his best friend dies due to negligence and abuse? He just… happily settles into mafioso life. No lingering trauma, no deep internal conflict about his choices or the fate of his former colleagues. It’s like his character sheet forgot to allocate points to 'emotional depth' or 'consequence'.
Playing as a powerful person is fun, don't get me wrong. But *Kingdom Come: Deliverance* shows us that the real magic, the true feeling of achievement, comes from the journey to that power. Henry *can* learn to read, charm, fight, and even train dogs, but it takes effort, dedication, and a fair few humbling failures along the way. You have to work with what you've got, and sometimes, the best option is to run like hell. Those early struggles make the mid- to late-game triumphs resonate so much more profoundly.
So, while *Mafia: The Old Country* might have given us an immediate action hero in Enzo, I reckon it might have inadvertently skipped the most interesting part of the story: the climb. The vulnerability, the learning, the moments where you genuinely question if your character is going to make it. That's where the real connection forms, where the achievement truly hits. Give me the bumbling, struggling peasant over the instantly-talented Sicilian legend any day. Because when everyone's a wizard from the get-go, where's the fun in learning the spells?.
—Repurposed from an original article by Marloes Valentina Stella, published on Polygon.
Tags: Game Design, Character Progression, RPG, Narrative, Historical Gaming
Original article: Polygon