Despite a turbulent journey to get here, Marathon has finally crossed the finish line and it's turned out exactly as you'd expect from a new Bungie FPS: it's good.
Marathon launched in full last night and it's already been met with a strong reception from players, debuting to a 'Very Positive' Steam rating, while an impressive 91% of its 4,400+ user reviews give it the thumbs up. That means it's even staying competitive with the subgenre's current big dog, Arc Raiders.
"Love this game's aesthetics. The art is very different than a lot of games on the market, and sometimes it's just gorgeous," one user review reads. "Gameplay is not as beginner friendly as Arc Raiders. However, the gunplay is way better. It's what you expect from a Bungie game. Feels like something between Halo and Destiny. So expect lots more players focusing on PvP."
"Finally a game that's bold and confusing, lots of stuff to learn instead of just being held by your hand," another player gushes. "Also art & music team, you deserve a raise!"
"Bungie cooked," a third says over on the Marathon subreddit. One other player on the thread sums up what makes the game stand out quite nicely: "It's like a Halo Team Deathmatch played out over a longer span. On death, you lose your weapons and gear, but you get them or others back just as fast on the next run, just like you do when you respawn in Deathmatch."
The new game from the storied developer behind Halo and Destiny is pretty good. Who woulda guessed it? But the journey to get to launch wasn't exactly smooth for the studio. An art plagiarism scandal, an indefinite delay, and some criticisms levelled at the game's "fontslop" UI certainly raised a few eyebrows, but it's nice to see that it all worked out in time for launch.
Be sure to check out our guide to all Marathon characters and 15 Marathon tips for new players.
