As a long-time Bungie fan, the prospect of a brand-new Marathon game intrigued me, and despite some reservations about the upcoming extraction shooter, I can safely say that this latest Marathon reboot has the potential to be among the best of the genre.
Outside of sharing the Marathon name and some key locations and themes from the ’90s originals, Bungie’s latest reboot is an entirely new beast that ditches its Doom-inspired chops for a multiplayer-focused extraction shooter experience in the vein of games like Helldivers 2 or Hunt: Showdown 1896.
If you’re a fan of games like Destiny, at its heart, Marathon features the same stellar gunplay and feel of Bungie’s popular looter shooter. But, instead of long sections of exposition and the commitment of something like Destiny, Marathon distils the best moment-to-moment gameplay of the former into intense 25-minute excursions. In its current form, Marathon features four distinct character classes: Locus, Glitch, Blackbird, and Void.
Character types in Marathon have some parallels to Destiny’s class system, such as Locus feeling Titan-adjacent, with its deployable riot barricade and DPS-focused special attack. Meanwhile, characters like Glitch and Void feature lithe builds that harken back to the deadly assassin’s toolkit found with the Hunter. And then there is the Blackbird character, who features an equipment set that doesn’t have an immediate parallel to Bungie’s past, instead giving the player access to abilities that are best suited for tracking and finding loot.
“I can safely say that this latest Marathon reboot has the potential to be among the best of the genre.”
On the topic of abilities, your character class in Marathon comes equipped with two primary abilities and two unique traits or unique modifiers that are exclusive to them. Abilities include everything from deployable shielding to searcher drones, in addition to more powerful firefight-oriented abilities tied to pressing the R1 and L1 buttons together, ala Destiny’s Super moves.
During my time with Marathon’s Closed Alpha, I was given access to two maps, Perimeter and Dire Marsh. Both levels were fairly large but self-contained zones, with both areas featuring a healthy assortment of interior and exterior locations, such as derelict buildings, landing zones and long stretches of open areas featuring overgrowth and technological detritus teaming with treasures and hostiles. The latter of the maps, Dire Marsh, while similar to Perimeter, as the name suggests, puts the spotlight on various marshes and other poisonous, shallow bodies of water, adding an extra layer of challenge while fighting through waves of enemies and other players.
Like Destiny, Marathon features some great weapons that feel distinct and appropriately futuristic, with my current favourite being a primary assault rifle that feels a bit like a nailgun had a baby with the MIDA Multi-Tool, featuring a rectangular sight reminiscent of a camera’s viewfinder that can track targets in range, parting each shot with a satisfying feeling of precision.
The basic gameplay loop in Marathon consists of picking your class, outfitting them with the gear you’ve earned from previous runs, selecting a contract, and then fulfilling specific goals set out by the in-universe corporations to which you’ve pledged alliance, which go towards unlocking upgrades and bettering your odds at finding better loot. Aesthetically, Marathon highlights Bungie’s ability to create striking graphic design elements that ooze that distinct futuristic minimalist vibe found throughout their catalogue of titles. In-game factions or the corporate entities that the player can work with feel reminiscent of the various weapons manufacturers found in Destiny, which should make returning players feel right at home.
Like other extraction shooters, Marathon features roguelike elements that make each mission a proposition of risk vs reward, with each run having the potential to rob the player of their valuable gear and weapons. Death comes easily in Marathon, either from the rogue AI hostiles that patrol the map or from the other fireteams composed of real players. Each round or mission in Marathon, in its current state, boils down to hunting for terminals, waiting for loot drops and scouring the map for additional gear before finding the exfiltration point to end the run.
“Marathon highlights Bungie’s ability to create striking graphic design elements that ooze that distinct futuristic minimalist vibe found throughout their catalogue of titles.”
Although fun, a lack of overall objectives or additional in-game events can make the experience quickly feel routine. Fortunately, engaging with other players makes up for the deficit by offering tense moment-to-moment gameplay, combining the best of both PVE and PVP in one concise package.
With the promise of raid-like experiences and future maps on the horizon, there is a lot to look forward to leading up to Marathon’s launch. Still, even after only spending a few hours with the Marathon Closed Alpha, I can safely say that fans of extraction shooters have a lot to look forward to. As for those already familiar with Bungie’s previous games, all I can say is that Marathon is definitely worth checking out. However, the overall experience is quite different from anything Bungie has put out thus far, making it hard to recommend for those expecting or wanting a familiar feeling experience.
