Mafia's gameplay consists of 21 missions that include gun and melee combat, driving, car chases, and on-foot third-person exploration. Eventually he becomes disillusioned by his life of crime and arranges to meet police detective Norman in order to tell his story in exchange for witness protection and to aid in the destruction of the Salieri crime family.
Through the events of the game's story, Tommy begins to rise through the ranks of the Salieri family, becoming a Made Man while they battle the rival Morello family. The player takes the role of taxi driver Tommy Angelo who, while trying to make a living on the streets of Lost Heaven, unwittingly becomes involved in organized crime as a driver for the Salieri Crime Family, led by Don Salieri. Mafia takes place between the fall of 1930 through to the end of 1938, during the later part of Prohibition, and is set in the fictional American city of Lost Heaven.
