HomeGuidesMarathon (2023)
Everything we know about MarathonCould Marathon be coming in May 2025?
Could Marathon be coming in May 2025?
Image credit:Bungie
Image credit:Bungie
While only a couple of videos have been revealed so far about Marathon, there’s a wealth of detail to decipher in both the videos and the lore of the original trilogy. The game may still be a couple years out yet, but below we’ll explore everything you need to know about Marathon, fromrelease date speculationto deep dives into the weird and wonderfulstory, thesetting of Tau Ceti IV, thegameplay,AI enemies, and much more.
In this guide:
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Marathon release date speculation
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bungie
This number is shown again on a similar red pack on the body of the shooter’s squadmate, making it seem like a significant number. Bungie in the past have been known to insert easter eggs relating to release dates in their trailers and media, so it wouldn’t surprise us at all if this is the release date they’re aiming for with Marathon.
This is all speculation, however. At the moment,Marathon remains firmly in a pre-alpha state, and we likely won’t hear much more about the game for some time while Bungie focus on “developing and playtesting the game”, and “marching towards [their] alpha”, according to theMarathon dev diaryabove.
Marathon platforms and crossplay
When Marathon does eventually release, it will arrive on bothPCand current-gen consoles, which meansPS5andXbox Series X|S. There will also befull crossplay and cross-savefunctionality between different platforms, so you can seamlessly move from one platform to another without losing progress, and also contend with rival players on different platforms during matches.
Marathon | Official Announce TrailerWatch on YouTube
Marathon | Official Announce Trailer
What is Marathon?
Marathon is Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter. But it’s also a reimagining of their previous release (also called Marathon) way back in 1994, long before the dev team shot to stardom with 2001’sHalo: Combat Evolved.
1994’s Marathon was dubbed a “Doom killer” at the time, with similar corridor shooting mechanics to Id’s iconic Doom series. But Marathon had a few key innovations. First was its rendering engine, which for the time was very impressive. Second, it was the first ever major release to allow players to freely control the camera along both axis with the mouse - a mechanic which is now synonymous with first-person games. And third - it placed great emphasis on its expansive and obscurestoryline, which continued with the game’s sequels:Marathon 2: Durandalin 1995, andMarathon Infinityin 1996.
Image credit:Bungie
The new remake of Marathon is still a first-person shooter, but now Bungie are delving for the first time into the blossoming “extraction shooter” genre, following in the footsteps of games likeEscape From Tarkov,Hunt: Showdown, andThe Cycle: Frontier.
Marathon gameplay explained
In Marathon, you take on the role of a cybernetic clone mercenary known as a “runner”.You can either group up in squads of 2 or 3, or choose to play solo, but either way you’ll drop into a persistent map filled with AI dangers and rival squads of players, and attempt to complete your objectives and escape from the map before you die to the environment, AI, or another player.
Unlike most shooters, the aim in Marathon isn’t necessarily to beat everyone else or get the most kills. Instead, you choose your own missions before each match (which could range from killing specific creatures to finding and extracting with certain bits of gear or other valuables), pick your loadout from various weapons and implants, and attempt to complete your missions before extracting with all your hard-won loot. But if you die, then you lose everything on your person.
Image credit:Bungie
Abilities and perks
According torecent leaks from Insider Gaming, Marathon is looking to deviate from the standard core gameplay loop of all extraction shooters in a few key areas. The first is through the addition of abilities and perks which can give you advantages in particular situations. Perks have weaker, passive effects, while abilities are activatable skills with more potent effects. For example, one perk might allow you tomove faster in waterorrevive a teammate more quickly, while a certain ability gives you temporarynight vision(which may also suggest different weather/time of day modifiers for different matches, or perhaps just dark indoor sections within Marathon’s maps).
Image credit:Bungie
Oxygen meter
One interesting point is that we can see the runner’s Oxygen supply as a number on their back in the announcement trailer. Does this mean that players will be able to see their rivals' Oxygen supply if they get close enough? That could lead to some interesting tactical decision-making during matches, as you decide whether to push or simply hold an extraction point against an enemy with low Oxygen.
Image credit:Bungie
Injury system
In a similar vein to Escape From Tarkov,Marathon will feature an injury system. This means that any damage you receive may have additional negative effects besides just losing health, and the type of negative effect you receive depends on where in the body you were shot.
We also know that aside from weapons and other gear, runners can make use of “implants” to augment their cybernetic bodies. It’s unclear as yet whether the injury system extends to damaging or destroying these implants, but we do know that if you die, then there’s a chance you could lose implants too.
Image credit:Bungie
Fame and immortalisation
It’s a very interesting and exciting idea, and a great way to give players lots of different objectives besides just camping extraction areas and racking up kills. It undoubtedly won’t take long for players to start unlocking the various hidden depths of Marathon and expanding the world for the entire playerbase. But if Bungie keep adding new secrets and content over time, it could help turn Marathon into a fine example of how to do live-service right.
Image credit:Bungie
Combining Artifacts
Central to both the gameplay and the story of Marathon are special items called Artifacts, which are among the most valuable pieces of loot you can come across during a match. It’s unclear so far whether they have any gameplay benefit on their own, but we do know that you can combine Artifact pieces into bigger and more valuable versions known as “Prime Artifacts” - the holy grail of Marathon’s loot.
Marathon story and lore
Marathon builds upon the expansive story of the original 90s trilogy of shooters - and let me tell you, those were some crazy stories absolutely packed with interesting lore. But let’s start with Bungie’s official description of the game on theMarathon website:
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bungie
The attack seemingly knocks out two of the three AIs governing the Marathon, and the remaining AI -Leela- attempts to aid the player in restoring the other AIs amidst the Pfhor attack. However, it becomes clear that one of the AIs -Durandal- has become rampant (self-aware), and was in fact the one who called the Pfhor to the Tau Ceti system as part of its hideously convoluted plan to outlast the universe itself.
The story across the trilogy becomes ever-more complex and bizarre from there, with rampant AIs attempting to destroy one another or outlast the universe; the destruction of a planet releasing a godlike eldritch being known as theW’rkncacnterupon the universe; and the use of time travel and alternative reality jumping to undo this horrifying mistake. Pretty crazy stuff, but it means there’s a huge amount of lore and history to draw from for the new game!
Image credit:Bungie
The new Marathon is set in 2850, over half a century after the events of the first game, but it’s still unclear whether the game is a sequel or a retelling. The opening description - of a ship in orbit over a lost Tau Ceti colony - certainly seems to indicate that the new Marathon will retell a similar story, although there will doubtless be changes from the original to the new game.
For one thing, the protagonist is different. You’re no longer playing the role of a security officer on the Marathon, but of a cybernetic “runner” sent down into the Tau Ceti colony itself to gather loot and intelligence. So even if Bungie’s reimagining of Marathon tells a very similar story, it will certainly be experienced in a very different way.
Image credit:Bungie
Marathon setting: Tau Ceti IV
Marathon will take place on a planet calledTau Ceti IV, where a colony of 30,000 people has seemingly vanished, leaving behind a treasure trove of valuable loot. According to the Insider Gaming leaks, Bungie are currently working onthree different maps, presumably all located on Tau Ceti IV - although whether all 3 maps will be available at launch is unknown.
Image credit:Bungie
Marathon enemies
The most dangerous adversaries you’ll encounter in Marathon’s matches will obviously be other player-controlled runners, but they’re not the only threat. AI enemies are present on the maps of Marathon, and it seems like a few of them will be very familiar to anyone who played the original 90s trilogy.
The main enemies in Marathon have historically been thePfhor, the alien slaver race which attacked Tau Ceti IV and the UESC Marathon in the original game. The Pfhor subjugate other aliens and make them fight on the Pfhor’s behalf, so there’ll be a wide variety of enemy types to face.
In fact, we already got a glimpse of one particularly iconic enemy type in the announcement trailer. It’s this guy:
Image credit:Bungie
This is aCompiler, a member of a race known as theS’pht(pronounced “S’fit”), which featured heavily in the original trilogy. Essentially a machine draped in a cloak, these Compilers will unfurl their cloaks menacingly in order to shoot a powerful bolt of energy towards their target. They’re meant to be pretty powerful, and likely not the kind of enemy you can safely ignore in Marathon.
Well, that wraps up just about everything we know so far about Marathon. Are you excited? I certainly am. With theshutdown of The Cycle: Frontier, I’m looking for a new extraction shooter to sink my teeth into. It may be a while away, but there’s enough info here to keep me cautiously optimistic that Bungie can stay true to form and deliver a fantastic sci-fi shooter experience in a new sub-genre.
