Welcome to the world of Mafia III. The city is New Bordeaux and the year is 1968. While the events of the game and the city itself are completely fictional, New Bordeaux is loosely based on the real New Orleans of that time. This Gulf Coast city borrows from the same wide variety of geographic, historical, and cultural influences which combine to make New Bordeaux a unique open-world game setting unlike any other. Join us on a tour of Mafia III‘s New Bordeaux.
New Bordeaux is enormous. To help get our bearings, it pays to know a little bit about how the city is laid out. The river winds and bends around every section. A large lake completes the north end of the map while the bayou lurks in the south. Bridges connect everything together and the primary industrial areas seemingly exist to ship unknown products in and out by train. Let’s take a look at what each district has to offer.
French Ward
Laissez les bon temps roulez! If you hear this expression while visiting New Bordeaux, you’re most likely standing in the middle of the French Ward. It means “Let the good times roll!” and they certainly do in this area of town. The French Ward is known for its wild nightlife. Here you’ll find jazz clubs, bars, and restaurants galore. Be sure not to go too wild, as the nearby cathedral oversees all that occurs in the Ward.
Downtown
If New Bordeaux where to have a city center, Downtown would be it. This area bustles with stores of all shapes and sizes. Locals crowd the streets lined with tall buildings practically sitting on top of one another. New Bordeaux’s main town square, complete with a statue of a regional war hero, can be found here amongst other historical buildings.
Frisco Fields
Frisco Fields is home to New Bordeaux’s wealthy elite, as evidenced by the beautiful mansions located throughout the area amongst verdant greenery and rolling hills. But appearances can be deceiving, and beneath the surface Frisco Fields hides a criminal element as nasty as anywhere else in New Bordeaux. The north end of Frisco Fields is home to the Retrousse Yacht Club, owned by notorious mafia boss Sal Marcano. Just be careful before accepting a ride on someone’s yacht, as it could be your last.
Pointe Verdun
The Irish population of New Bordeaux make their home in Pointe Verdun, and it’s referred to by local law enforcement simply as “Irish point.” Beaches, housing, and the local cemetery can be found around the area’s outer edge, while a large shopping and dining section can be found downtown. Stop in and have a drink at Duffy’s Irish Pub while you’re here. The area’s industrial areas and warehouses are dominated by Burke’s Iron & Metal, headquarters to Thomas Burke, head of the Irish Mob and known associate of Lincoln Clay.
Southdowns
Looking for a train to skip town? The Southdowns district is home to a large train depot where you can do just that. This is your typical blue-collar neighborhood, with folks just trying to work hard and get by. If you want to get a workout in, stop by Acadia Gym. Though if you stick around until nighttime and know the right people to ask, you may find somewhere you can watch a fight and place a bet or two.
River Row
River Row borders the bayou on two sides and as such houses fishermen, boats, and alligators. The area also contains one of the city’s hidden gems, Benny’s Ristorante, home to the best Bourbon City Binder in town. Closer to the center, warehouses and factories line the streets. Smokestacks fill the horizon, billowing steam or other less savory contents into the air. At least it makes for lovely sunsets over the bayou.
Bayou Fantom
With a name like Bayou Fantom you might expect ghosts and gators. You wouldn’t be too far off. If the gators don’t get you, the haunted Eaglehurst Plantation or the Ghost Ship of Jean St. John might. The locals here still brew their own moonshine in shacks and trailers on a scattered set of islands connected by wood and metal bridges. Life in Bayou Fantom moves as slowly as the waters of this marshy wetland area, which are the perfect breeding ground for insects, snakes, marsh birds and alligators. Come and gaze upon the natural yet sinister beauty of the area, and be sure to stop by one of the gator farms and say hello.
Tickfaw Harbor
Tickfaw Harbor is the heart of New Bordeaux’s industry. Buildings, silos, and pipelines litter the landscape. The area is home to a booming shipping industry. Just don’t ask too many questions about what’s in any of the containers…
Barclay Mills
A large city like New Bordeaux is bound to produce trash, and all that trash has to go somewhere. That somewhere just so happens to be Barclay Mills. The industrial district is home to the garbage collection industry of the city as well as multiple train hubs moving goods in and out of town.
Delray Hollow
Delray Hollow is home to some of the hardest working people in New Bordeaux. Expect to hear people greet each other in Haitian Creole just as often as in English when walking down the streets of this district. The area isn’t overly pretty, but it’s productive, and the stores are all locally owned and operated. The locals take pride in the lives they have carved out for themselves.
They say Delray Hollow was the home of the Black Mob before the Italians wiped them out. Now the Haitians and the Dixie Mafia are constantly duking it out over control over the area. Meanwhile, law enforcement is bought and paid for by the highest bidder. Rumor has it that Lincoln Clay has been spending an awful lot of time in the area, and there are whispers among the locals that change is coming soon. Not just to Delray Hollow, but to all of New Bordeaux…
Mafia III is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
