A young man has just escaped from a horrifying situation and is left without a home, a family, or possessions. Against all odds, he must try to find his way in a harsh historical European world. Doesn’t that ring a bell?
Upon meeting Enzo Favara, the protagonist of Mafia: The Old Country, for the first time, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s Henry of Skalitz. Despite being born a few hundred years apart (late 19th and late 14th century respectively), the protagonists of both games are meant to guide the player through a single-person narrative-driven adventure with a high degree of historical realism. But where Henry’s story deeply impressed me, Enzo’s fell short — and the problem lies in the character development.
At the start of Mafia: The Old Country, we learn that Enzo’s father sold him to the Sicilian sulfur mines at a very early age. Now a teenager, Enzo is close to buying his freedom, but after a violent incident, he ends up fleeing the mines and joining the mafia. Although Henry had a far better childhood as a blacksmith’s son in medieval Bohemia, his teenage years were also violently disrupted when enemy forces ransacked his village, forcing him to flee and join Sir Radzig’s service.
You’d think that puts both youngsters at a fair disadvantage, wouldn’t you? Well, in Enzo’s case, not so much. At the very moment of his escape from the mines, Enzo starts to show his boundless talent as he holds his own in a one-on-one knife fight against an experienced mafioso. Beginner’s luck, maybe? But when he hides at a farmhouse just hours later, Enzo has no trouble sneaking up to a fresh batch of criminals and taking them out one by one. In every fight that follows, Enzo repeats this impressive feat by taking down entire gangs on his own — no wonder Don Torrisi wants this one-man army on his side.
If Enzo is just exceptionally good at sneaking, knife-fighting, and shooting, I might’ve accepted that. Shortly after Enzo joins the mafia, however, a horse race is announced: The Palio di San Celeste. Unfortunately, Don Torrisi’s jockey isn’t able to ride, but Enzo, the boy who not too long ago was stuck in the mines, casually steps in as a replacement — and wins.
Later on, a car race is announced in San Celeste. Guess who wins? Enzo! When a baron’s son needs rescuing from a massive enemy camp, who fixes the situation? The brand-new recruit, Enzo. When a car owner can’t manage to get his vehicle started, Enzo gives it a try; instant success. Guess who spent his whole youth inside a sulfur mine but can read just fine? Again, it’s Enzo. There’s never been a more talented man in the entire history of Sicily.
Don’t take this the wrong way, Henry of Skalitz, but you’re an incompetent peasant in comparison. Despite having had some secret sword training from a mercenary, it takes Henry ages to get any good at fighting in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and he certainly won’t be a one-man army by the end of it. It was a humbling experience when, at the start of the game, I tried to save a girl from a bunch of fiends and got pummeled within seconds. When a side quest told me to join a local tourney shortly after, I – again – got absolutely wrecked. And when I returned to my village to reclaim a lost sword, running into bandits, I didn’t last two seconds in the ensuing one-on-one duel.
As it turns out, a teenage swordfighting hobbyist without proper armor doesn’t stand a chance against experienced opponents. Poor Henry: can’t fight, can’t read, has no money, lacks speech skills and charm… But as a player, this weakness had the strangest effect on me: I loved it. Thanks to these failures, you really do feel like a young, inexperienced lad who hasn’t had proper schooling yet. 14th-century Bohemia wouldn’t seem half as raw and realistic if it weren’t so hard to survive in.
Having come from the mines, a place known to leave its child laborers unschooled, starved, and often disabled, Enzo’s struggles should’ve been at least as great as Henry’s, if not more so. But because of his instant success at virtually everything, you don’t feel the brutality of his situation, nor any sense of achievement as he battles his way out.
The lack of progression isn’t just reserved for skills; it’s also apparent in the protagonists’ comparative emotional states. As Henry’s parents are murdered and Enzo’s best friend dies because of negligence and abuse, both characters suffer a traumatic experience at the start of their story. But whereas Henry is haunted by nightmares, constantly talking about the destruction of his hometown and trying to help fellow survivors, Enzo happily settles into his mafioso life. He doesn’t seem that bothered about his dead friend, the fate of his former colleagues, or his personal choices.
Of course, it’s fun to play as a strong, powerful person, but you will reach that point in Kingdom Come: Deliverance eventually. Henry can learn to read, charm, fight, and train dogs just fine, but it’ll take effort. In the meantime, you must work with what you’ve got: You can save the girl at the start of the game, just like you can escape random bandits on the road, but after you draw their attention, fleeing is the only option. Similarly, you’ll be able to beat up bandits, win tournaments, and complete archery challenges, but not before you reach mid- to late-game.
Had Kingdom Come: Deliverance not conveyed Henry’s struggles as brilliantly as it did, I might’ve enjoyed Enzo’s story more. As it stands, however, I’ll take the medieval peasant over the Sicilian action hero any day.
