Marathon First Impressions: Bungie Is Doing Almost Everything Right

1 week ago 6

Published Mar 6, 2026, 8:53 AM EST

Christian has over three years of experience writing in the gaming industry, including guides and reviews, for publications such as DualShockers, Attack of the Fanboy, and PC Invasion. He has been an avid gamer since he was a kid, viewing it as the best possible art form and medium. Some of his favorite genres include Survival Horror, Soulslikes, and RPGs, but he finds joy in almost any type of game.

Before ARC Raiders, I was never an extraction shooter fan. However, after 130 hours with Embark Studios' latest hit, I can confirm that an extraction shooter is exactly the type of addictive gameplay loop I have been looking for. Still, no matter what game or genre it is, eventually things become stale, and you begin looking for your next fix.

Being on an extraction shooter binge, but slowly getting off ARC Raiders, I naturally turned my attention to Bungie's Marathon. Through its incredible marketing that showcased fast-paced gunplay and cool art design, it was inevitable that I would at least give it a try during the Server Slam. However, any developer can make a game look great through stylish videos, so I was still unsure about whether the game would hook me as ARC Raiders did.

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That other extraction game seems to have gotten under Bungie's skin.

After playing Marathon for 30 hours in the course of four days (yes, I need to touch grass), I can confidently say that Marathon is my next addiction. While I have some gripes, it's clear to me that Bungie knows exactly what it's doing when it comes to creating an engaging and fun extraction shooter. The haters were wrong — Marathon kicks ass.

A Dangerous World With High Stakes

The first thing any player will notice about Marathon is its art direction, a world filled with a combination of colors that really pop on screen. While beautiful, Marathon's world is a dangerous place, as there are brutal AI enemies and other players out for blood. Exploring each zone without a chip on your shoulder will likely result in your demise, and other players getting a chance to acquire your loot.

Marathon has a total of three distinct zones so far: Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost. As season 1 progresses, a fourth zone will reveal itself called Cyro Archive, which is essentially the game's endgame map that requires players to bring their A-game and equip the best loot in their vault. These zones can be viewed as difficulty levels, where Perimeter is Easy, Dire Marsh is Medium, Outpost is Hard, and Cyro Archive is Very Hard.

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Learn how to play as Triage in Marathon with this guide.

I love the fact that each zone brings its own level of difficulty, as it allows you to play Marathon at your own pace. If you want to have a quick run to grab basic supplies, maybe load into Perimeter to deal with fewer and easier enemies, giving you a better chance at making it out alive. Perhaps you want to hunt for rarer loot, so you load into Dire Marsh or Outpost.

Still, even though Perimeter is considered the easier map, you still have to pay attention and give it your all when the time arises. The enemy AI, known as the UESC, in Marathon is very smart, being able to spot you through windows, from long distances, and won't be afraid to move in on your position to gun you down.

Besides the UESC, players also have to keep on the lookout for enemy bugs and other players, both of which can kill you very quickly (more on that later). Plus, there are traps to look out for, such as Claymores, toxic plants, toxic rooms, etc. Simply put, the world of Marathon wants you dead and is trying to ensure that you don't extract with its valuable loot.

The enemy AI, known as the UESC, is very smart, being able to spot you through windows, from long distances, and won't be afraid to move in on your position to gun you down.

The danger in Marathon is what makes the game so great, as the stakes are constantly high, and you know that you could lose your hard-earned gear in the blink of an eye. The challenge made me want to keep going, as I found myself getting better as a player with each new match I entered. Landing headshots easier, finding good loot spots quicker, learning areas to avoid if I don't want to fight, etc. Marathon is a learning game, and you're constantly raising your skill ceiling through trial and error.

The Satisfying Feeling of Progression

The greatest thing about Marathon is that the player constantly feels as if they're working toward something and making solid progress. This is still true even if they continue to die during matches, thanks to the factions and contracts system. These two systems go hand-in-hand, where factions offer unique upgrades, unique items to purchase, and contracts that are essentially quests that can be completed during a match.

There are a total of six factions currently in Marathon: CyberAcme, Arachne, Sekiguchi, MIDA, Traxus, and NuCaloric. Each of these factions offers unique contracts with valuable rewards and a skill tree with upgrades to make your Runner stronger, making them each worth progressing. Leveling up the factions also unlocks additional items to be purchased at the Armory, making your future runs more manageable.

The coolest aspect of factions is that each has its own distinct lore and background. Their background determines the type of activities you need to complete in order to gain faction XP for them and level up. For example, Arachne is considered the "death cult" since, in order to gain XP for them, you need to hunt down and kill other players. On the other hand, MIDA just wants you to find certain items and extract with certain loot.

Since each faction requires players to complete certain tasks to level them up, and each faction is worth leveling up due to unlocking permanent season upgrades, there is always something meaningful to do during each match. While you can only have one contract active per match, you can work multiple faction tasks per match to gain experience points for multiple factions.

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Speaking of contracts, completing them will reward the player with valuable loot that can be used on future runs. I felt that the rewards were extremely beneficial, as they usually led to health kits, strong weapons, equipment, and much more. Plus, completing contracts for a faction leads to a ton of faction XP, getting you one step closer to more permanent upgrades.

Then there is the satisfaction of progressing in skill level as you continue to play the game. Each Shell, otherwise known as a class, is significantly different from the others, offering different abilities and traits. Deciding which Shell to play as will determine your playstyle, and learning the best time to use their abilities and utilizing their traits correctly will gradually turn you into a better player. Practice makes perfect in Marathon, and it's so satisfying.

Slight Adjustments Are Needed

Before we get into the issues of Marathon, I want to make one thing very clear: the UI is completely fine. I'm not sure why the community believes the UI to be difficult to read or complicated to navigate, as it's not much different than ARC Raiders. With this out of the way, let's get into the real problems with Marathon that need adjustments in future updates.

First off, the time to kill is incredibly quick. It's so fast that if a player sees and shoots you first, you have almost no chance to react, unless you have a blue shield (rare) or above. This is a real issue in a game where you constantly lose your loot, since players won't constantly have high-end shields at their disposal. This needs to be adjusted to give players a fighting chance if another team gets a jump on them.

The TTK in Marathon is my main concern, as it currently gives a significant advantage to players who mostly play online competitive games. I'm not saying to double it or anything, but a slight increase, maybe by half a second, would go a long way. Half a second doesn't seem long, but in a game like Marathon, where each bullet counts, it makes a massive difference and gives the less skilled players more leeway.

If a player sees and shoots you first, you have almost no chance to react, unless you have a blue shield (rare) or above.

Another apparent issue in Marathon is the heat bar, which generally acts as a stamina bar. While I do believe that a stamina bar should be in the game, it drains way too quickly and replenishes way too slowly. This leads to players having to slow down more often than they'd like, making them walk to locations, ruining the flow of gameplay, and making some moments feel sluggish. In a game called "Marathon", it's kind of odd how often you're walking.

The good news is that Bungie has acknowledged these two concerns, mentioning that it is looking into both. There's no confirmation of them being adjusted, but due to the overwhelming feedback from the Server Slam about both issues, it's safe to say we will see a solution here. It's also worth mentioning that Bungie has been fantastic with listening to player feedback from Alpha to Server Slam, so the developers genuinely seem to care.

Overall, these minor nitpicks are not enough to detract me from playing the game. I am really enjoying my time with Marathon, and I can't wait to pour hundreds of hours into its world, meeting other players, upgrading my factions, and collecting the best loot the game has to offer. I'm especially excited to see what Bungie has planned for after season 2, since each season is supposed to make the game feel unique compared to the last.