Ok, we were all expecting Marathon to crash and burn initially, right? Then it seemed to get out of the noise and mess from all the previews early doors.
From reports of art theft, AI art and a whole host of other things. It didn’t seem like Marathon was going to land smoothly. Add the fact that Arc Raiders came out a few months before and really flipped the script on extraction shooters. It felt like Marathon might actually be the catalyst to speed up what feels like the end of Bungie.
To be clear, Bungie is one of my favourite all-time game studios. A die-hard Halo fan, someone that has spent thousands of hours in Destiny/Destiny 2. I want nothing more than to see them thrive and continue. But, Marathon wasn’t really appealing to me in the first instance.
It’s probably fair to say that Arc Raiders has helped Marathon more than hindered it. Exposing a fresh new, more receptive audience to the extraction shooter genre. Paving the way for Bungie to at least get a good shot at things.
But does it land after launch?
Marathon
Marathon, to me, is a blend of Destiny shooting (that glorious “feel” that only Bungie can create), Arc Raiders extraction and Mirror’s Edge near-future, clean and crisp design.
Take all of the amazing first-person shooter elements of Bungie games, and you’re on the right track. So let’s be honest. That’s appealing straight away, isn’t it?
The world building and lore is rich. The aesthetic is so intrinsicly tied to the wider world of corporations, runner shells and this whole cyber-punk modern world. You are instantly transported into the world of Marathon, and at every turn, you know precisely that you’re in this universe. Marathon is so perfectly crafted, you lose yourself to it immediately.
Extract from your run with your gear. Go back, loot, shoot and return. It’s the classic gameplay loop that you’re hoping for, with the style and movement you expect from the studio.
With elements that set the game apart from the competition. Marathon is actually a game that deserves your attention, and after a few hours, I wish I’d gotten into it at launch.
Extraction
If you’re familiar with the genre, Marathon is another extraction shooter, on face value.
For those not familiar, the core loop is one that revolves around you spawing at a destination of your choosing. Then, it’s you and/or your squad vs everythign on the map, other runners or AI enemies. You have quests to do, but the basis of any general run is to get gear and iteams, so you can get out again and use it to craft, sell and upgrade your stuff.
If you don’t get out, you lose all the items you were carrying. If you do get out, you can use what you picked up to better yourself and prepare you for your next run.
That’s the core conceit, and it’s built very much, upon the idea that you can lose everythign at any given moment. But you can also come out on top and feel like you’ve evaded certain death. Scraping-by with one bullet left, and barely any health.
It’s exciting and engaging.
The element of having other players in there helps to really cracnk-up the intensity too. Will you work together with strangers? Or will you have to contend with them, not only for the gear on the map, but for your life?
Marathon gets the genre, for sure. It adds it’s own flair to proceedings, and helps it stand out from others in the market.
What’s different?
Style and aesthetic aside. Marathon is a first-person shooter as opposed to a third-person perspective, which increases the intensity quite quickly, with that narrower field of view.
Then you have shells. This is one of the bigger differentiations. If you think of Marathon as a hero-shooter for a second. You pick your shell, which is essentially a character, or perhaps more a specific class. Each on comes with different abilities to help suit your play style. Then off you go. With a thief, a medic, an assassin etc, all the bases are covered, and you can give each run a different flavour by just mixing-up your shell selection.
One of the big differentiators here is the auto-selling mechanic, too. The game knows what you want to keep/use later, and what you should be selling and just does it for you. Marathon takes that post-match time, and optimises it in a way I’ve wished others would, too.
Beyond that, the other big difference is the missions and the companies you do missions for. Whilst missions in an extraction shooter aren’t new, the fact that you always have something to chip away at, and progress on, even if you have a bad run. That makes a huge difference. A mini victory after a shambles of a run is just sweet enough to take the sting away.
Whilst I’ve plenty more to go at yet, Marathon clearly sets itself apart quite quickly, and I appreciate what it’s doing.
Overall
All in all I think Marathon is set-up to succeed. With plenty more hours in me to get to grips with it, I’m legitmately looking forward to going back and uncovering more of the world.
With plenty of choice in each run, and chance to succeed even when you fail. Bungie have done a great job taking their first step into a new world.
Sure, the Marathon IP isn’t new, but it’s new to most, and this take on things is impressive from the get-go.
Time will tell how successful it is. With it being a live-service game, it needs to have long legs to ultimately deliver. So I’ll be keeping an eye on updates, additions and patches.
The groundwork is laid-out for success, let’s hope Bungie capitalise on it and keep the momentum. Marathon is fun, stylish and different enough to set it apart in the genre. Taking that signature Bungie shooter “feel” and giving you a fresh new challenge.
If you’ve been on the fence, I’d recommend giving it a go.
