Summary
Marathon's experience is very hardcore and not beginner-friendly. Smooth weapon handling and responsive shooting mechanics make the game feel alive, but punishing deaths, overly stylized visuals, and a cluttered UI make it harder to learn at first. Performance is not entirely great, and worlds can feel hollow, even being filled with tons of AI enemies to fight all the time. However, map puzzles and key rooms are great, as they provide both PvP and a grind to farm these high-tier resources. If hero-style extraction PvP doesn't bother you, Marathon offers various combos and can be your new FPS shooter to try out.
Developer – Bungie
Publisher – Bungie
Platforms – Pc, Xbox Series S|X, PS5 (Reviewed)
Review copy given by publisher
Marathon is a PvPvE FPS extraction game that takes place in Tau Ceti IV, a planet that’s hostile to human life and is ruled by UESC forces. The gameplay revealed last year had not been the smoothest thing to ever land, and that’s putting it lightly. I feel it gave a perfect lead-in for Arc Raiders to swoop in and save the day.
If you’ve ever been a fan of an extraction shooter like EFT or Arc Raiders, then you will already like aspects of Marathon. Most players think that this Bungie game has a narrower focus and has less market than ARC Raiders. The PvP fights are faster than those of other extraction shooters, making it difficult for a newbie to settle in.
Marathon gameplay feels very smooth, and it has good movement mechanics along with multiple different weapons. I feel that the guns are kind of punchy and give me a pretty good vibe. You enter the map, loot weapons and gear, fight other runner shells or AI enemies, and extract with gear. I think this gameplay is similar to the extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov-style systems, but with fast-paced mechanics. The shooting mechanics are pretty much fine, as the weapons feel responsive and satisfying.
Combat can vary, going from a lot of PvE to a ton of PvP, especially during the 3v3, and gives a mix of Halo-style gunplay and Destiny pacing. I must say that the Marathon is very hardcore due to limited ammo and healing, or losing gear after being killed during extraction. You can expect 18 Runner Shells during the match, along with some AI enemies and a 25-minute timer.
If you’re new to the Marathon, you may feel that runs end instantly. The reason is pretty simple, and it’s because new players die often who are not aware of the mechanics. The game is shockingly hard to understand compared to competitors, but it is very rewarding for skilled players who have already played other extraction shooters. Instead of a traditional campaign, the Story of Marathon is unveiled through logs, contracts, and clues you find during the match.
The game has two maps available when starting, and the Outpost map, which is only accessible after reaching level 12. Outpost is a great PvP map with tons of key rooms, and it has a very smart puzzle design that allows you to access one of the main areas. I also feel that the maps are not giant and sizable enough that you can get away with not seeing people in a match.
NOTE: Cryo Archive is the newest map that was released with Season 1 and requires you to be Level 25 and have all factions unlocked to jump in. This review is not based on the in-depth mechanics of the latest map, Cryo Archive.
There was also a time when I jumped into the map, and I actually didn’t face any enemies. The likelihood of you fighting more than one team is very minimal, which feels very hollow, especially after getting topside for over 800 hours in Arc Raiders. This is because there’s always at least one confrontation between each ground. I like being able to fight against others and find better loot. During my playtime, I rarely faced third parties despite being an extraction shooter.
Marathon has only seven Runner Shells at the launch, and each one comes with its own playstyle and abilities. I personally like the Assassin Shell because it can disrupt the enemies and sneak in for kills. Other Runner Shells like Destroyer, Triage, Recon, Thief, Vandal, and Rook are also powerful in their own niche. Choosing the best Runner Shell can affect your gameplay, but using it correctly and effectively lets you dominate the enemies.
Aforementioned, the weapons feel very much alive and give you a sense while shooting the enemies in combat. There are several weapon types like AR, SMG, LMG, Shotgun, PR, Sniper Rifle, Railguns, and Pistol, but my all-time favorite was the Sponsored kit SMG Bully and the Double-barreled shotgun, which is perfect for 2 hit in PvP scenarios. LMGs are kind of powerful but heavy, and shotguns are devastating in certain situations. I must say, Precision Rifles are for skilled players because they require high accuracy and good aim. Overall, some fights end extremely quickly, making certain weapons feel too strong and others very weak.
The extraction system is the heart of the game, and trust me, this is more intense than the Arc Raiders. It can be brutal and stressful, especially for new players. After fighting the enemies, completing objectives, and looting gear, you reach an extraction point to escape. The objective in the match is to fill your backpack with valuable gear, and when you’re ready to leave, move to the extraction point and activate it. This starts the countdown and creates a beam and loud audio signal to let other players know you’re trying to leave. If time runs out, the normal extraction points close, and the final extraction point appears where the toughest battles happen.
Bungie improved visuals after early feedback, and we got better lighting and weather effects. I feel that the mud and surfaces react to light, and the dead body decays over time, adding visual storytelling. Bright colors during the match help spot enemies easily and understand the map layout. For me, the environments feel less alive than those of other extraction shooters, and the interface uses many fonts and visual elements. Bungie prefers style over realism, and as a result, the engine struggles with shading and reflections.
The game’s performance feels decent but not perfectly optimized. Performance fluctuates during the raids, FPS drops in certain maps, and weird frame pacing. Audio plays a massive role in the game by adding directional footsteps, a unique soundtrack, and cues. They can even help you identify enemy position, distance, and surface type.
You will love Marathon if you like high-risk PvP and hardcore FPS experiences. The battle pass and cosmetic system got a strong backlash, as the rewards feel low value, and some items require repeated purchases. UI is too cluttered and confusing, making important information hard to understand quickly. Despite finding a lot of resources during raids, the absence of a detailed crafting system is a huge turn-off for me.
There is no crafting system present in-game that allows you to craft gear and other items like cores, shields, etc., to help you gear up in raids. The only way you gear up is by leveling up factions to unlock new items in your Armory that you can purchase from a faction. Each faction shop sells different items, from healing, cores, and weapons.
Marathon could have been a great Extraction shooter, but it comes short on some of the core mechanics of an Extraction shooter and sometimes behaves more like a hero shooter-style battle royale. While going through this review, Bungie has also released a ranked mode for the extraction shooter, which is a good sign for PvP players. However, it’s very confusing whether it should be a part of an extraction shooter model that strongly relies on faction quests and upgrades.
From puzzle-based raids to high PvP maps like Outpost and Cryo Archive, Marathon has everything for everyone, but being a fan of this genre, it feels like a lot of clutter from different games that need to be streamlined. It is a great FPS shooter, housed inside a base skeleton of Bungie’s take on extraction shooters, which seems to be working without any unique ideas.
