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Bungie, the studio behind the Destiny series, is back with Marathon, a brand-new extraction shooter that throws you into a dark, cyberpunk world where survival is never guaranteed. This review of Marathon covers all the key areas: the visual style, how the game plays, the progression system, and whether the endgame content is worth the grind to get there. From its unsettling atmosphere to its faction-based progression, the game brings a lot of interesting ideas to the table, some of which land really well, and some that still need work.
A Style That Stands Out
The first thing you notice when playing Marathon is how different it looks and feels compared to other games in the genre. The game has what can best be described as a “sterile cyberpunk horror” aesthetic, and it doesn’t feel like a surface-level coat of paint. It’s woven into every part of the experience, from the moment a mission loads in, there’s already a cold, unsettling atmosphere that stays with you throughout.
Even the loading screens between missions carry this tone. Details like living moths chewing on cables create this strange mix of organic and mechanical imagery that’s hard to shake. The maps themselves also back this up with distinct layouts and environmental conditions that make each location feel memorable. The storytelling is minimal and doesn’t lean on cutscenes, but it still manages to build an uneasy feeling in the background, like something about the world is quietly wrong in a way that goes beyond just how it looks.
The one area where the presentation stumbles is the UI. Menus aren’t immediately intuitive, and it takes some time before navigation starts to feel natural. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does stand out against how polished everything else is.
Factions, Runners, and How You Grow
The game’s story centers on a competition between six factions: CyberAcme, NuCaloric, Traxus, MIDA, Arachne, and Sekiguchi who are all fighting over resources on Tau Ceti by hiring cybernetic mercenaries called Runners. That’s who you play as, and choosing which factions to work with shapes how your character develops over time. Each faction has its own upgrade tree, where you spend Credits to unlock perks, and the system does a good job of keeping progress feeling meaningful rather than turning into a mindless grind.
There are seven Runner classes to choose from: Assassin, Destroyer, Vandal, Triage, Recon, Thief, and Rook. However, the balance between them is noticeably uneven. Thief is currently the dominant pick thanks to a movement tech called the “grapple slide,” which lets her cover large distances extremely fast and makes her very hard to pin down. Triage is another strong option, since she can heal teammates and revive them from a range using a Med Drone, making a squad with a good Triage player feel nearly unstoppable. Other classes like Destroyer offer solid defensive play, but the gap between the top-tier and the rest of the roster is hard to ignore.
The Extraction Loop and How It Plays
The core gameplay loop involves completing objectives, collecting loot, and making it out alive through an Exfil point. The tension comes from the fact that if you fail to extract, you lose everything you picked up during that run. This creates a constant decision: push further and risk losing it all, or play it safe and get out while you can.
The game currently has four maps. You start with Perimeter, and Dire Marsh and Outpost unlock as you progress. Cryo Archive is the fourth and final map, serving as the endgame content. Difficulty climbs noticeably in the later maps, with stronger AI enemies and more experienced players competing for the same resources. Environmental hazards like bug nests and toxic gas zones add more pressure on top of that, and the status effect system is particularly punishing since there’s no buildup mechanic, so even brief exposure can instantly apply a debuff that lingers long enough to get you killed.
Loadouts consist of two weapon slots with four attachments each, two shield slots, one equipment slot, one core, and three implant slots. You can purchase gear from the Armory, but many players rely on Sponsored Kits instead since they’re free and carry no loss if you die. The downside is that Sponsored Kits are limited and they give you the minimum to work with and don’t allow much flexibility. Paid options for better kits do exist, giving you a bit more to work with without risking your saved Credits.
Gunplay is easily one of the strongest parts of the game, which makes sense coming from Bungie. Weapons feel satisfying across the board, and even some of the weaker options from Sponsored Kits can still feel good in the right situation. One standout early pick is the Bully SMG as it hits hard, has solid precision, and is available through faction-sponsored loadouts, placing it among the top weapons in community tier lists.
One area that’s hard to overlook, though, is the stamina system. Characters tire out quickly, and once the Heat meter fills up, you enter an Overheated state that limits your movement and takes time to clear. For a game called Marathon where you literally play as Runners, having your character struggle this much with basic movement feels like a contradiction that disrupts the flow of play.
The monetization side of things is also worth mentioning. Cosmetic pricing feels off, with premium currency bundles often nudging you toward spending more than you need. The early Reward Pass doesn’t offer much value, and even simple color variants come with price tags that most players would find hard to justify. That said, none of this affects actual gameplay and is entirely cosmetic, so you can ignore it completely without being at any disadvantage.
The Endgame
Bungie has openly recommended that players hold off on forming a final opinion until they’ve experienced Cryo Archive, and it’s easy to see why. This endgame map takes place near the UESC Marathon colony ship and feels like a completely different game compared to the earlier content. The design is maze-like, with raid-style mechanics, puzzle solving, and layered challenges that require proper coordination. Going in solo isn’t a real option here, you need a squad and clear communication if you want to survive.
The rewards match the difficulty, offering the best loot in the game alongside the strongest players you’ll face. Getting in, however, requires meeting strict conditions: reaching at least Runner Level 25, unlocking all six factions and completing their liaison contracts, and having a loadout worth a minimum of 5,000 Credits. For players who spent a lot of time going solo, hitting those requirements is genuinely difficult, and the game doesn’t do much to ease that path.
There’s also the matter of availability. Cryo Archive is only open on weekends, and the map has only been live for about a week. The community is split on this with some understanding the reasoning, while many feel the map should simply be available at all times, especially since the entry requirements already do a good job of limiting who can realistically access it.
Verdict
Marathon has a stronger foundation than many would expect. Its cyberpunk-horror identity feels genuinely original and gives the game a personality that carries through almost everything it does. The faction progression is consistently engaging, the gunplay is excellent, and the endgame content in Cryo Archive shows real ambition in game design.
At the same time, there are clear areas that need attention. Runner balance is currently lopsided, the Heat-based stamina system gets in the way more than it adds, the monetization structure leaves a lot to be desired, and Cryo Archive’s weekend-only availability has already become a point of frustration for a portion of the player base.
Whether Marathon fulfills its potential will come down to how actively Bungie supports and refines it over time. As it stands, the game is already a solid entry in the extraction shooter genre with a strong identity and with the right updates, there’s a real case to be made for it becoming one of the best in the space.
The Review
Marathon
PROS
- Very unique take on cyberpunk aesthetics that combined with horror.
- Fascinating world to delve into even with minimal storytelling.
- Progression through factions is always engaging and rewarding.
- Satisfying gunplay with easy access to powerful guns.
- All the maps are well designed with seamless navigation and engaging challenges.
CONS
- Not all Runners are properly balanced.
- Monetization structure needs adjustment to make it more enticing.
- Stamina system that disrupt the gameplay pace.
- Access to end-game content is needlessly restrictive.
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