Is Marathon Just For Destiny Fans, Or Will Casuals Enjoy It Too?
Marathon is the latest shooter from the team behind Destiny 2 that launched this week. While we’ve been instructed not to publish a full review just yet thanks to a few surprises the dev team have up their sleeves, we had one question going into it - can Marathon satisfy a Bungie superfan and a total newcomer to the extraction shooter genre?
Well, GAMINGbible’s Rich (someone with 1000s of hours in Destiny 2) and Olly (never played Destiny 2) sat down to play to answer just that.
Marathon through the eyes of Destiny newbie, Olly
As someone who skipped the Destiny games but loved the original Halo trilogy, I was keen to see just what exactly Bungie’s take on the extraction shooter genre would look like.
So far, I’ve found Marathon so far to be quite enjoyable.
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I’m someone who was really into battle royale games between 2018 and 2021, and so my understanding is that battle royales and extraction shooters share a lot of common DNA, albeit with one huge difference. While battle royales teach you to scavenge what you can on the battlefield, extraction shooters emphasise preparation.
I’ve quickly learned that you’re not going to get far in Marathon without preparing for a run. Sure, you can grab a starter kit to take out with you on the field, but this serves as nothing more than to tide you over until you find better loot laying around. So far, there’s a great balance between finding the right loadout that works for you, and making sure you only take risks that you know are going to pay off.
The shooting is tight, where every firefight feels like a genuine choice. I don’t feel like I’m attacking another squad just because I can, but rather it feels like I’m doing it because I have no other choice. Or rather, I feel that there’s a lot of weight behind my squad’s decision to start shooting at the enemy.
What I really like about this too, is I’ve had a handful of matches where I don’t really run into other players besides those in my squad. I think there’s a lot to do here which involve simply pitting your squad against natural and artificial threats, before even factoring in other players. It makes Tau Ceti IV feel relentless, which works in the game’s favour.
For example, it’s one thing to be engaged in a shootout against another squad of runners. But what happens when you add a few NPC bots into the mix? Their neutrality means both sets of players suddenly have a threat to deal with. Then there are environmental hazards too, such as changing weather and dangerous terrain, which can further complicate things.
I, for one, also really need to shout out Bungie’s art and sound departments. The game had always looked impressive to me from the offset, and I’m glad Bungie was able to resolve the issues surrounding those plagiarism accusations from last year, because the aesthetics of Marathon are really quite something from what I’ve seen so far.
It’s got this really authentic “plastic” edge to it that resembles something in between the likes of a colorful yet corporate modernist design and the palpable blocky grittiness of retro ‘70s sci-fi. I feel like I’ve stepped into a Mirror’s Edge-style interpretation of Ridley Scott’s Alien. It’s perhaps the best thing about the game that has left a lasting impression on me so far.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of Marathon, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played so far as someone who is a newcomer to this genre. I’ll be spending the next few weeks delving into each of the game’s different systems, trying to work out which loadouts work best for me, and what strategies are going to be worthwhile. I’m also keen to see how the community responds to this, particularly those who, like me, also skipped out on Destiny.
But what about Rich, someone with 1000s of hours in Destiny 2?
Marathon stands out almost instantly with its unique art design and vibrant colour scheme, but other than that, it feels very run-of-the-mill. Being developed by Bungie, it’s pretty much a given that Marathon will have solid first-person shooter action, and that is certainly the case, because the gun gameplay feels good. Sadly, for me at least, nice colours and solid shooting are where the praise ends.
From the get-go, I was instantly put off by Marathon’s user interface. It’s littered with text and is not easy on the eye, and it’s not the easiest to navigate with its mouse cursor function. It always feels unnatural when using a control pad to navigate a menu this way, and this is something that I never appreciated in Destiny or any other console game.
Oddly, despite Bungie attempting to make Marathon stand out from the crowd with its art style, almost everything in the maps feel samey, and nothing really stands out, or at least, is somewhat memorable. It kind of reminds me of an attention-seeking cousin who dresses wacky at a family function, but beneath that exterior, it’s a desperate ploy for attention for someone who is mundane on the inside.
As someone who loves the Halo franchise and has played every game in the series for countless hours, as well as putting 1000’s of hours into Destiny before stepping away from it a few years ago, I just can’t vibe with Marathon.
Those who really love Destiny and Bungie may very well find plenty of enjoyment with Marathon, but it’s really not for me. Marathon may go on to be a success, or it could be the next live-action casualty; it’s probably too early to tell. But I feel that I’ve already had my fill, and I’d be surprised if it's a game that I’ll return to anytime soon.