Mafia Mobile is out now on mobile, but can it refresh a well-trodden genre?

• Mafia Mobile is out now on iOS and Android
• It boasts a mix of strategy, turn-based combat and base-building
• But is this crime boss sim a little late out of the gate?

Once upon a time, the organised crime subgenre was a veritable bonanza for mobile developers and publishers. Lest we forget the old days of Mafia City and its constant phonk-infused adverts on YouTube. But is that gold rush over and done with? Well, IGG certainly don't seem to think so with the release of Mafia Mobile for iOS and Android!

As I noted in my previous coverage, Mafia Mobile is a perfectly competent-looking entry in the mobile strategy genre. You'll find all the essentials, from recruiting heroes to helping lead your organisation to starting new businesses and managing them, be they legitimate or not.

Of course, Mafia Mobile does offer some other additional mechanics, such as club management and RPG-style battles. So it's not all a glorified Facebook experience. And in terms of graphics and presentability, it manages to do a decent job of standing out from others in the pack.

Sleeping with the fishes

Of course, that all depends on whether people are willing to give it a go. And I, for one, find it a little difficult to get worked up about Mafia Mobile. There's nothing wrong with it, but I also can't help feeling it's something we've seen many times before.

And with there being so many big releases constantly (heck, our top five new mobile games to try this week feature is proof of that), you really need to bring a big gimmick or selling point to the table. But that's something I feel Mafia Mobile doesn't do, although I'll have to wait and see what players like you think first.

There's certainly a lot of competition if you look no further than the strategy genre. Check out our list of the top strategy games on iOS to see where we've made our picks for your budding overlords out there!