Bantam Banter

The concept of an extraction shooter sounds so enthralling. Hop into a map, gather as many materials as you can, and try to hop out unscathed. If you’re able to make it out alive, you keep everything you found, but if you perish, so too does everything you brought in. Even the most fundamental aspects of the genre seem “hardcore” in nature. Bungie cranks that notion up quite a bit with Marathon.

Right from your first run, Marathon is an intense experience. The hauntingly beautiful and desolate landscapes of Tau Ceti IV welcome you with bright colors that instantly pop. It may seem like Bungie is treading some familiar territory from its sci-fi-inspired designs in some aspects, but the world and character designs are unlike anything else in gaming. It helps Marathon stand out in the ever-flowing sea of live-service games available.

But its beautiful looks are definitely deceiving. There is nothing welcome about the environs of Tau Ceti IV. Between the various environmental hazards that are home to each map, and the other Runners feverishly looking for supplies to extract with, every run requires your immediate attention. You can’t just casually play Marathon; you have to immerse yourself in it, which is maybe its biggest flaw.

Probably every gamer associates Bungie with the Halo or Destiny franchises. Why wouldn’t you? Those franchises have large audiences because of how storied their histories are at this point. I think part of that popularity was gained because of how approachable they were. Yes, Halo and Destiny have sections that can make things difficult, but I do believe that anyone who has played a first-person shooter could pick up those games and have a good time.

With Bungie’s revival of Marathon, that just isn’t the case. You have to learn the ins and outs of everything. That learning experience is so daunting on its own, but the lack of a proper tutorial to really teach you the various systems, or even a practice area to try certain guns or items out, makes it even harder to want to stick with it if you’re just looking for something to play casually with friends. Personally, it was this that drew me away from Marathon.

However, if you’re willing to put in the work and learn the various systems, Marathon seems to be an experience unlike any other. That hardcore nature means that every firefight you win or lose, whether it’s against real players or robots, is thrilling. Every item you pick up feels important. Everything you do on Tau Ceti IV has weight, and you just won’t find that in many other shooters.

This also includes the different shells, or character classes, you can choose from. Each one feels unique and offers different abilities that can help you either destroy the opposition or help out your fellow runners. Personally, I enjoyed using the Assassin if our team’s intent was to get kills. However, I found myself typically using Triage or Recon to provide some form of support since I’m ass at shooters. At least I felt like I was contributing in some way, whether that be pinging enemies or providing bots for healing.

There is also the Rook shell, which is specifically for solo players. It offers a truncated experience as you hop into a run that is already in progress, and you are provided with a pre-determined loadout. It is meant for you to just hop in and out of maps very quickly, grabbing everything that you can before the session closes. You also only have one ability, which disguises you as one of the UESC, allowing you to run into most areas at your leisure. These runs are actually some of the most exciting I’ve had, and it offers a quick way for a solo player to just hop in for a couple of runs.

Marathon’s gameplay experience, if you’re willing to learn it, is exceptional. The break between each run in the menus, though, I hate it. There is just way too much going on. I understand Bungie is going for a certain look that envelopes the entire game, but I think that is to the detriment of its menu design. It feels like I’m constantly losing myself in the menus, which is never a good feeling.

Then there is the minimalistic look of the items in your inventory. Again, the visuals of these items are more in service with Marathon’s overall art direction. As such, it makes it hard to decipher exactly the items in your inventory. On top of that, some of the items look exactly the same, which requires tons of reading, and leads to more time in a menu I cannot stand interacting with.

I’ve spent a long time trying to find the words for how I feel about Marathon, and honestly, I am still struggling to find them. I think it’s because it really does have the sauce to be bigger than it actually is. It has an enticing gameplay loop, gorgeous art design, and the gameplay you know and love from Bungie shooters. Where it may lose casuals, like myself, is just how intense each run can be. It’s grueling, and you have to put in the time to “git gud.” I simply do not have the time to throw myself into this exceptionally designed experience. Which is a shame, but it’s good to know Bungie still has the stuff to make something great.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review copy was provided by PlayStation and Bungie

If you’re looking for a more in-depth review, please check out Max Roberts’ review at his site, Max Frequency. Dude has put in many hours and has a lot to say about Bungie’s latest.