A talented modder has been working tirelessly to bring the Titanic to 2002's action-adventure Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, the first game in the Mafia trilogy. The project has been in development for nearly fifteen years, with the creator beginning the endeavor back in September 2006. While the project is not yet complete, Mafia Titanic Mod is shaping up to be one of the most accurate video game depictions of the real-life ship.
Mafia may not be the first game that springs to mind when thinking of the iconic Titanic, as the game takes place in the 1930s, nearly two decades after the RMS Titanic sank in 1912. The original game's story follows Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver who begins a life of crime with the mob in the fictional city of Lost Heaven. The game was remade as Mafia: Definitive Edition in 2020. While the title itself doesn't share too many similarities with the historical sinking of the world's most famous ship, its world makes the perfect base for a Titanic-themed mod, and is a firm favorite in modding communities.
Mafia Titanic Mod is a project helmed by lead developer and maritime engineer, Robin Bongaarts. Speaking with Eurogamer, Bongaarts explained how the mod was born from his "nerd-like interest" in the Titanic, as well as the moddability of Mafia. Beginning the project with no experience in game development, Bongaarts expected the ion project to take four months, but 15 years on the mod is still a work in progress, mostly due to Bongaarts' desire to create the most realistic Titanic possible. As well as being a "highly accurate replica" of the ship, the mod will also include a full storyline, complete with "a number of missions around the ship, fully voice acted with a new soundtrack, and cutscenes in between." The mod won't just see players explore the Titanic, but also watch the sinking unfold. The ModDB description explains: "You get to run around the ship as people are panicking and corridors flood. You get to see the ship slowly transforming from a luxury liner into a disaster scene."
Watch Mafia Titanic Mod - A First Class Climb here.
The ambitious Mafia project is already looking incredible, as seen in multiple videos on its official YouTube channel, Robville Virtual Realisations. s highlight some of the many features of the mod, including fully usable swimming pools like those found on board the luxury liner. The mod will consist of four parts, and while the first part's release was due this month the launch has been delayed, though is still due in the "very near future." Part one is awaiting completion of just one of the ship's amenities: the elevators. Once complete, the beginning of the Mafia Titanic Mod will be available for via ModDB.
Players looking to take to the virtual seas as they wait for the Mafia Titanic Mod might enjoy playing World of Warships on a real-life warship. Thanks to a partnership between Wargaming and the Imperial War Museum, the HMS Belfast has been kitted out with a gaming suite, allowing players a new level of immersion. Moored in London, England, the unique gaming experience might not be accessible to everyone, but it's certainly more achievable than playing Mafia Titanic Mod on board the Titanic.
Mafia Titanic Mod will release its first part on PC in the near future.
Source: Mafia-Titanic-Mod/Moddb (via Eurogamer), Robville Virtual Realisations
