Bungie, the esteemed creator of the Halo series, is working on its first non-Destiny project in over a decade, and it's called Marathon. Although initial impressions of it may suggest otherwise, Marathon is not a new intellectual property. Rather, it is a reboot of a classic Bungie franchise that was created in the early days of the company. The original Marathon games were released exclusively for the Apple Mac, and they were all first-person sci-fi shooters, somewhat reminiscent of Halo. The Marathon series is incredibly basic by modern standards, but it was rather revolutionary for its time.
The first installment in the Marathon franchise, which came out in 1994, was one of the very first FPS titles that prioritized storytelling over mindless run-and-gun gameplay. Marathon didn't feature any cutscenes, but it did have a lot of terminal logs scattered throughout its environments, many of which contained extensive lore about the setting of the game. The series' narrative was incredibly intricate and complex; so much so, in fact, that there were entire fan-made websites dedicated to unraveling it. Bungie's upcoming Marathon reboot may not have much in common with these classic games, from either a story or gameplay perspective, but it is disappointing that the game won't have a single-player campaign like its predecessors did.
Marathon Has Bad News for Nintendo Fans
Marathon’s developer, Bungie, confirms disappointing news that might not surprise Nintendo fans, but it’s still a significant letdown.
Unlike Its Predecessors, the Marathon Reboot is Not Going to Have a Single-Player Campaign
Marathon is a Multiplayer-Only Extraction Shooter Without a Lot of Narrative Content
Despite being based on a franchise that is perhaps best known for its story, Bungie's new Marathon game is a multiplayer-only live service extraction shooter. It has more in common with, say, Escape from Tarkov, than it does with any of Bungie's retro FPS titles. While Bungie has confirmed that Marathon will have a story, most of the game's narrative will be told through seasonal story beats and not via any sort of single-player content, somewhat like Destiny.
Aside from MMOs like Final Fantasy 14, most multiplayer-only live service video games struggle to tell cohesive stories. As such, it's not surprising that the narrative in Bungie's upcoming Marathon reboot is not going to play a big role in the overall title. That said, the fact that the game does not come with story-driven content of any kind feels like a missed opportunity, especially since a newly released trailer for the game shows how much potential its futuristic setting - the alien planet Tau Ceti IV - has when it comes to storytelling.
Marathon's Cinematic Short Shows How Much Potential a Story-Driven Campaign of the Game Would've Had
Right at the end of the recent Marathon reveal livestream, Bungie showcased an eight-minute cinematic short that gave players a glimpse into the Marathon universe. The short, which was directed by Spanish animator Alberto Mielgo (best known for his work on Love Death + Robots and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), has an incredibly distinct art style that takes inspiration from the new Marathon aesthetic. It follows two runners, Glitch and Void, who fight against each other as they try to scavenge loot and survive in a desolate alien wasteland. Each time they die, the runners find themselves inside new artificial bodies, and they have to go through a special procedure to remind them of their human selves.
Although it may be marketing material for a video game, Mielgo's short manages to tell a very interesting story and cover a lot of complex themes in just a matter of minutes. It not only serves as an effective way of depicting Marathon's extraction shooter gameplay loop in film form, but it also stands on its own two feet as a high-quality short movie. It's unfortunate, then, that the actual game that this short is based on is going to have very little cinematic content like this. Due to its lack of a campaign, Bungie's Marathon reboot will probably not have a lot of cutscenes, and even if it does, it's unlikely they'll be at the same level of quality as this short.
WHERE TO PLAY
Infil into the dark sci-fi world of Tau Ceti IV: A derelict colony rife with rival Runners, hostile UESC security forces, and unpredictable environments. As you scavenge its zones for valuables with a crew or alone, tense moments of exploration break into fast-paced PvP combat where gunplay is responsive, supplies are finite, and preparation is rewarded.
Exfil to advance your seasonal power, earn cosmetics for your achievements, and assemble stronger builds with your stolen loot. Then put your gear back on the line to seek even greater fortunes in your next run.
A GRAVEYARD OF POSSIBILITIES
Trespass across deserted research facilities, rugged landscapes, and security outposts holding the remnants of a vanished expedition, yours to salvage. Tau Ceti threatens death at every turn with unique enemies, dynamic events, and environmental hazards. Each zone escalates in difficulty, preparing you for the UESC Marathon locked in the heavens.
POWERFUL. CONFIGURABLE. EXPENDABLE.
Six equippable Runner shells offer diverse playstyle foundations to build upon, like Destroyer, Recon, and Thief. Scavenge an arsenal of moddable weapons, body implants, and core system upgrades to craft countless builds. Strategize as a crew each run to form comps that maximize your combined strengths, shaping the way you approach fights and objectives.
Face the unknown as a crew of two or three, or alone in solo lobbies. Or sneak into in-progress crew lobbies as Rook, a lone scavenger with no starting gear and nothing to lose. Forge uneasy alliances with rival Runners in prox chat to defeat mutual foes, but remember your new allies might revert to enemies just as quickly. Be merciless in combat: A lone survivor can reboot their crew, even from death.
INFLUENCE IS POWERLiaise with six competing factions, each offering lucrative incentives to advance their foothold on Tau Ceti. Completing faction contracts grows your baseline power via season-long unlocks like Runner shell upgrades, stronger starting loadouts, expanded vault space, and specialized wares on offer for spare loot.
No one knows what happened a century ago when the Marathon expedition went dark. As a trespasser into UESC territory, you are uniquely positioned to piece the story together. Unearth the skeletons of Tau Ceti’s past as you run deeper into the colony.
DEATH HANGS ABOVE
Once the way into orbit unlocks, bring your endgame build to Cryo Archive, the first floor of the UESC Marathon. Solve raid-like security measures to unseal frozen vaults and pillage the artifacts within. Every cramped corridor forces you into conflict with fully-geared enemy crews racing for the same prize. Breach the seventh vault to challenge an entity even the UESC fears.
- Genre(s)
- Extraction Shooter, FPS, Multiplayer
