Marathon

Deep within Marathon, there lies a shooter that’s simply fantastic—especially in its end-game maps and core weapon mechanics. For hardcore players who find ARC Raiders too easygoing and forgiving and are craving a bloodier experience, this could be a fantastic playground. However, when viewed as an extraction game that constantly demands you risk your efforts, the pieces don’t quite fall into place. It’s completely lacking the warmth and motivation that would draw in casual players or those looking to dip their toes into the genre. It’s a game where ideas with immense potential are crushed under mechanics that unnecessarily overwhelm the player.

Marathon gets better the more you play, but in today’s gaming landscape, it’s fair to ask how many players are willing to invest many hours before the real fun begins. The foundations are solid: the artistic vision is striking, and the gunplay is satisfying. Yet, many of Bungie’s new shooter’s mechanics seem almost designed to push players away rather than draw them in. A confusing interface, overly convoluted weapon and item design, a low TTK paired with punishing PvE, and progression systems that only balance out after unlocking most skill trees create significant early hurdles. And even when everything finally starts falling into place, some design choices remain puzzling, including the mandatory quarterly wipe, which currently raises more questions than answers. When it all comes together, Marathon is undeniably fun, but at this stage, the game still needs quite a few key tweaks to fully realize its potential.

If you're not willing to put some hours just learning the ropes, this is a Marathon that you'll need to run in the opposite direction. If you do - welcome - you're in for a wild ride.

Marathon is a technically brilliant and satisfying shooter that nails the fundamentals but struggles to build beyond them. It delivers incredible moment-to-moment gameplay, yet lacks the depth and long-term pull to match its ambition. Right now, it feels less like a fully realised experience and more like the start of something new waiting to be expanded, a game that will live or die by how Bungie supports it from here.

Marathon delivers a plethora of deep mechanics, engaging gunplay and a truly unique look, but there's simply too much tedium and way too much busywork between fights.

If you give Marathon your time, it will reward your patience. I really believe that. I also think the time commitment is a big reason this game won’t be for everyone. And maybe it doesn’t have to be. After all, a game for everyone is a game for no one. This isn’t a casual shooter that’s welcoming to new players. If you’re willing to stick with the game, learn the systems and play with friends, then there’s a good chance you will find a shooter you really enjoy. If you’re looking for something easier to jump into and understand right away, then Marathon is going to be a much tougher sell for you and your friends.

Against some odds, Marathon is a compelling extraction shooter that offers some really satisfying combat. I do think having only one contract at a time slows progression down but there's plenty of other meters to work towards. Solo play has a tension to it which I really enjoy, although the game seems to be built more around squads. With just a few maps available at launch, I only hope that the game evolves and grows over time. I love the aesthetic and, generally speaking, it's doing quite a few things right.

Marathon’s foundations are solid, strong, and well-functioning, and although the game might lack a hook, or simply maps that build on this solid foundation, I feel confident enough, even without Cryo Archive, to recommend Marathon solely on the basis of this rather fantastic loop. That doesn’t mean Marathon is a fantastic game in itself, but it could very well turn out to be one, and that’s more positive than for a great many other live-service games.

Marathon is a wildy inconsistent game that reaches blood-pumping highs, in between rounds of pure frustration. There's a great shooter hiding in there, but players will jump off before they find it.