A hardcore extraction experience
As a Halo fan (kind of shaky since 5 if I’m honest) and an early Destiny one I was actually kind of excited about Marathon. But then, like most I played the early alpha or beta that happened shortly after Arc Raiders had made a stellar first impression in its server test. The gunplay was about the only positive thing that I could say about it. There was confusion about what items did, where to loot, it was a dark mess, graphically it felt just bleh. But fast forward to the final ‘Server Slam’ before launch and my, how things have changed. Oh, I was still super confused by the items and abilities but the overall look and feel of the game was more appealing, brighter, it felt stranger and that was enough to have me travel down the rabbit hole for the full game.
So, for a lot of the context in this review, it’s important to note that I play Marathon on Xbox Series X with the console only crossplay option. Meaning I do not play with any PC folks because I am too old and tired to fight dudes with a K/B. Now the one thing that Marathon instantly nails is its gun play and while I can’t say what it is that gives Bungie’s games that “je ne sais quoi” if you have played any of their games then you know what I am talking about. The shooting just feels, right; recoil is fair, aiming is tight and the sound effects from the bullets to the trigger pulls is just a chief’s kiss of perfection. Even though Marathon takes place in the far future light years away from earth, players will find a lot of 21st century type guns to use. Assault rifles, pistols, shotguns all of these can be looted and used to great satisfaction in taking down the UESC drones.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
In Marathon players choose between various shells which act as player types. Each granting the player active abilities as well as passives. With this the game feels like a hero shooter, the Destroyer shell grants players a shield to block incoming damage and an ultimate move that fires rockets at enemies. I was actually disappointed that there is only one shell that acts as a medic class and that’s Triage. His ultimate can revive a downed player from range and he can toss out small drones that can restore shields and health to players who may be in need.
While its Marathon’s art style that is going to help it stand out from a crowded arena of various shooters. Boasting visuals that are brightly colored, blocky and just unique in nature lure in players with a vibe that is unlike any other. Buildings all have a futuristic flair that yearn to be explored for its loot, some maps are alien swamps, where one late game area is literally the Marathon colony ship that was first introduced in the original game back in 1994. From the loading screens to the transitions; this entire game has a certain aura about it and I must say I love it.
Look, I am under no illusion here; the best days of PvP for me are in my rear-view. I am ‘ok’ and can hold my own in a fight and maybe sometimes pull off a clutch maneuver or two, but my gameplay is by no means what I would call consistent anymore. But a lot of what drew me to Arc Raiders was the tense moments fighting the actual Arc enemies, so I was hoping Marathon would do the same with its UESC; alas it did not. The UESC enemies are all just various types of bipedal bots. There are fast ones, big ones, Commander level ones; sometimes they have a shield. The real issue with them is that players end up using so much ammo fighting them that they can easily be caught off-guard and ganked by a human enemy team when they are low on ammo. But I suppose that’s all part of these extraction games, the risk vs reward style gameplay.
After many, many hours in Marathon I have come away with an overall positive impression. The game is held together by the tight shooting that Bungie is known for, but it oozes a style all its on which helps it stand out from the pack. For those that love the chase of loot and the thrill of a PvP fight then Marathon is probably for you. It feels like it’s a more hardcore version of the extraction shooter, at least in comparison to Arc Raiders. Don’t expect to have our hand held in this game, which is what a good hardcore experience should offer its players. If you like that type of experience, then Marathon is waiting for you.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
