When I heard that Bungie was making a live-service extraction shooter, I rolled my eyes and dismissed it as slop. Who needs another live service game? I also just didn’t think it was for me. I’m interested in multiplayer games, especially not live service games.
Even when the announcement cinematic dropped, I thought it looked too… weird. I’m really, REALLY not interested in playing a game where the progress is dependent on me being better at something than other players. That competition just isn’t for me.
But then the game came out, and I couldn’t stop hearing about it.
It’s very rare for me to be interested in a game like this. Arc Raider almost got me, but I skipped out. However, there was something about Marathon that drew me in.
A Quick Caveat
A huge mark on Marathon’s development was the fact that Bungie directly plagiarized art. Or at least, someone who worked on Marathon stole art, was fired, and then the artist noticed.
For those who don’t know, here’s the quick rundown.
During an alpha test for the game, the artist 4nt1r34l found that some of her artwork was being used directly in the game. She doesn’t work for Bungie, and the piece in question was created in 2017. Obviously, that’s not great.
Bungie, the creators of Marathon, internally found that the artwork was stolen by a former employee who used the piece in a texture pack. There were also a lot of similarities between the design language of Marathon and the work of this artist.
Bungie has issued a statement addressing plagiarism claims involving its upcoming game Marathon, confirming that a former artist included unauthorized artwork in the alpha build.
thegamepost.com/bungie-responds-marathon-plagiarism-claims-blames-former-artist-for-unauthorized-art-use
Bungie reached out to the artist directly, and after what I can only assume were long talks and legal document drafting, they came to an agreement with 4nt1r34l.
Marathon Art Controversy Resolved As Artist Reaches Agreement With Bungie And Sony
Artist Antireal says the Marathon art dispute has been resolved with Bungie and Sony, closing months of controversy around stolen in-game assets.
thegamepost.com/marathon-art-controversy-resolved-artist-agreement-bungie-sony
The tweet made by 4nt1r34l states:
“The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction.”
While I wish this issue had never happened, it genuinely feels like a mistake from a former employer who pulled directly from a mood board instead of creating something new.
That being said, I’m hopeful that the artist actually got good compensation, or something. She said She’s happy, I think we’re good.
The Undeniable Style of Marathon
With my history and personal interest in graphic design, and more importantly, type, the entire look of this game was a major interest for me.
Even just this morning, I was looking through the font sheet for this game and was just amazed by how good it looks.
The overall aesthetic is incredibly synthetic. Bright, unnatural colors painted on overly large machinery with logos, barcodes, and identification numbers all over. It’s the first time I’ve seen a game of this scale use this design language. It’s truly cyberpunk, and it reminds me of Porter Robinson’s Virtual Self project, or a Gundam model with tons of decals.
I’ve been affectionately calling the look lablemaxxing.
I can understand if some people have a difficult time parsing what’s happening on screen, or just not meshing with how it looks, but the display of expertise in design and art direction here is second to none.
Tension
Marathon is brutal.
While on runs, I’m sitting at the edge of my seat, looking around for other players. and while not playing, I’m thinking about if I’ll be able to extract next time.
For those who don’t know, Marathon is an online shooter where anything can kill you. There are other players and enemy NPCs. However, players don’t have to kill each other. They can choose to work together or ignore each other.
However, however, Marathon is very kill on site.
If you run into another player, it quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse. dodging around cover and using whatever you have to get out alive. Some players may be ok with just getting out alive, but others will track you down.
Player interactions make the game feel tense. You’re constantly listening for player steps and are on the lookout for any signs that someone is right behind you. No, seriously, turn around.
The other thing that makes Marathon tense is the extraction of it all.
If you die in a game, you lose whatever gear you brought with you and whatever you found in that match. Extracting is the only way you can bring what you found with you. I don’t care that much about the loot I find. Usually the only reason I want to extract is cause… I just want to see if I can make it.
Something to Do
I hesitate to jump into extraction shooters for a single reason:
I don’t really care about the loot loop.
I’m just not that interested in hopping into a big map just to find a cool gun for me to eventually lose it.
Marathon does something different.
Within the world of Marathon, there are 6 “factions” (most of them are mega corporations) that hire runners to get information and materials from the destroyed colony on Tau Ceti.
These missions make up the core of the gameplay loop. Get a mission, drop into a match, and do whatever you’re asked to do… no questions.
The big thing to note is that most (maybe all) don’t require you to extract. You just need to get to a certain location, download some data, kill x players/UESC bots, find a certain item, and bring it to a certain location.
I like this because I don’t have to be good at the PVP to make progress in the game. I also love that each faction rewards a specific kind of play style. Pick and choose your favorite faction, and get rewarded for your style of play.
Let’s Talk About Lore
I’m not about to lore drop on you, so don’t worry.
There is extensive lore in the world of Marathon. Much of the lore explains why the world is the way it is, even up to why everything has so many labels on it. It also explains events that happened before the events of the game. I learned the UESC (basically evil space federation that things they control everything) only employs like 0.12% of the population, and one time deamed that a moon of Mars wasn’t actually a moon, so they launched it into a star?
There is such a rich lore to explore, and it’s just a part of what makes me love this game.
Take it From Me
On paper, I shouldn’t like this game. I do not like multiplayer-only experiences, and instead choose single-player games exclusively. Marathon changed that, at least this one time.
So take it from me, someone who shouldn’t enjoy this game—it rocks.
