By: Papa Minnow

Marathon is Bungie’s latest PVPVE extraction shooter set on the world of Tau Ceti IV in the distant future. This new release of Marathon is a reimagining of Bungie’s original 1994 shooter of the same name and launched March 5th 2026.

Players, or what the game calls “runners”, fight against each other for resources on four maps and endure the challenges of what the harsh environments impose against them.

That imposition comes in the form of environmental biohazards and a robotic patrol force known as the Unified Earth Space Council (UESC). Since the world is so hostile, runners’ consciousness must be implanted into biomechanical bodies known as shells, in order to survive.

If you die without exfiltrating at any of the exfiltration locations, you lose all the gear you came in with and collected. That level of risk creates an unparalleled level of tension that permeates throughout each raid session of a map.

There’s been considerable discourse online about the game’s viability and mechanics. There’s a brigade of players upset but also a growing minority that love the game.

After spending several hours with the game myself, I’d like to give my impressions on the time I’ve spent in the world of Tau Ceti IV.

Gameplay & Gunplay

Marathon is a superb shooter that gives player that classic Bungie gun feel, dating back to Halo, but that got refined throughout the Destiny 1 & 2. It’s bouncy, it’s tight, and it’s buttery smooth.

Whether you’re fighting UESC bots or brawling other players, eliminating opponents feels so satisfying. You feel the impact of each bullet, knife swipe, or special ability and it leaves you hungry for more.

That same refinement is extended to the game’s core gameplay. Movement is sleek and can be further enhanced on each shell with attachments that match your level of playstyle making for some great and unique gameplay moments.

Sound design is also impeccable. Directional player movement can be heard at any moment so you can tell when an enemy is present in the vicinity and pinpoint the exact angle they’re moving about.

The world also builds upon tension as lightning strikes the environment haphazardly, bird chirps, robots screech, and gunshots imbue the soundscape creating a haunting atmosphere.

As mentioned before, runners use shells and each shell has it’s own distinct look and abilities. There are 7 in the game: Destroyer, Assassin, Recon, Vandal, Thief, Triage, and Rook.

For example, Vandal has an arm cannon that shoots a laser bomb at enemies once charged, but it can also be used to boost Vandal into the air if she shoots it at her feet. Destroyer has a deployable arm shield that absorbs damage, but he’s also capable of using thrusters to bridge the gap on opponents making him a wrecking ball force. All of these shells are viable in their own right, however, Rook is the only shell that must play solo.

The Rook class is designed to allow players who are down on their luck to enter into an on-going match and scavenge for weapons and items without risking any of their own. Given their appearance they have an ability that allows them to blend with UESC robots for a brief amount of time and they can self heal if necessary.

Similarly, you can queue into a raid with any of the other classes using a free sponsored kit from one of the six corporate factions (Cyber Acme, Nu Caloric, MIDA, Arachne, Traxus, and Sekiguchi Genetics) and attempt to get better loot and gear at the cost of fighting power. This also allows you to complete contracts which isn’t allowed with the Rook shell.

Even without the risk of losing your best gear upon entering a match, there’s still a lot of tension in every raid because Rook’s can pick up new gear and exfiltrate so risk is still involved. It’s that underlying and omnipresent risk that keeps players coming back for more.

There are moments where you’ll lose a great set of gear and those moments are absolutely frustrating. But players will find themselves jumping right back into a match and within minutes find an opponent, off them, and luck up on some loot that was far better than what they just lost. The dopamine rush from going from zero to hero is incredibly addicting and the game offers plenty of those moments to keep you hooked.

In-Game Experience

While the game is thrillingly palpitating, it does take some time to get used to. Which brings me to a negative about the experience: onboarding.

Players aren’t given much of an onboarding experience. Your first match is a tutorial of the game’s most basic elements: moving, looting, fulfilling contracts, shooting, venting, and exfiltrating.

Once it’s complete there is no going back. There also aren’t any practice facilities to try out certain weapons or character abilities before hopping into an in-game raid so runners are left to learn on their own through trial and error.

That is a point of pain for many first time players and it explains why the game does take some time to get into it; however, this trial-and-error approach offers an in-depth sense of discovery as you continue to play matches and learn what the game has to offer. Marathon’s learning curve is what makes the game so beautiful. There’s a lot of power in figuring things out on your own and learning the lay of the land to help you get the best of opponents.

In my time with the game there was a moment where a player got the jump on me, but I managed to stay alive and hold them at bay. Because we were engaging in a building I was familiar with, I knew I could use one of the room’s vents to get behind them and finish them off.

All those hours of playing through several raids gave me an in-depth knowledge of my surroundings that wasn’t previously imparted to my opponent or they were not quick enough to manage the intensity of the fight.

Another point of contention for players has been the UI. There is some validity to the confusion of it at time; however, a large part of the UI just requires experience simply because it’s a new game.

It works well in 90% of the cases and Bungie has done a good job of listening to the community’s feedback making improvements where players see fit. As of writing this they just launched patch 1.0.5 which just saw the addition of drag-and-drop mechanics for weapon mods, making it easier to equip and unequip them.

Story & Graphics

What stands out immensely for Marathon are its aesthetics and lore. Story telling and the game’s visual aesthetic are delivered in superb fashion.

Upon completing certain contracts players are treated to visual messages from the ambassadors of each corporate faction. These videos have first-class voice acting and they deliver in-depth story telling to the new world of Tau Ceti IV.

There’s also a codex menu that comes with text, and audio logs that players can comb through. These logs also go in-depth on the history of the Marathon expedition and flesh out how it came to be and the designs that were required for the world and expedition.

Here’s an in-game audio log (in visual format for YouTube) from the CEO of one of the game’s corporations: Nu Caloric.

That in-depth detail is also etched into every pore of the game’s aesthetics. Post-Earth life has brought about a technologically advanced civilization that no longer fears death. These designed shells may die but runners remain.

Marathon is teeming with a colourful palette that is very unique and stands apart from many games today. There’s a hint of nostalgia in it where some of it’s design feels like the core of Windows 98 operating system mixed with cyberpunk futuristic polish.

There is so much freedom in Marathon and that’s what makes the game so intriguing and addicting to play. You make the rules.

Whether you want to progress the story, or progress towards contracts, or simply hunt enemies or collect shell and weapon skins, how you choose to play is entirely up to you.

The depth is astounding and even after 20 hours of play and a decently leveled account, there is still so much more to the game that I have yet to witness. It doesn’t help that Bungie is continually supporting the game with several in-game events and endgame content such as a ranked mode, and the Cryo Archive; a Destiny raid like map which both release this weekend.

There hasn’t been a game that has made me itch to play it like a crack fiend since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare back in high school. Marathon truly is one the great shooters of our time and despite not initially being excited for the extraction genre, I’m fully converted and invested in the ride ahead.

If you’re a fan of shooters; Play. This. Game.

8.5/10

Cover Image via: Marathon | Official Announce Trailer – YouTube