Marathon just came out in less than six months, and there’s a whole bunch of stuff we don’t know about it. But, thanks to the current closed alpha, we finally got to try out Bungie’s first new project in like forever and the newest live-service game from the PlayStation crew. The results so far got us scratching our heads.
Not really sure why this matters, but right now Marathon is a sci-fi thing wrapped up in a kinda forgettable shooter deal. The alpha was gonna be all hush-hush, but then Bungie changed their minds after a bunch of creators said no way. There’s still some stuff that needs fixing in Marathon’s looks, UI, and other visual junk, but everything seems to be running smooth. No bugs, no issues on PlayStation 5, and no problems finding a match. But, while playing Marathon can be cool, the alpha left us with tons of questions about how Bungie’s new game is gonna make it in a crowded field of other games.
Not sure why, but I’m not really hungry to play more of Marathon after spending time with the alpha. And honestly, I don’t know who this game is for. It’s too watered-down for the hardcore folks but too tough for casual Destiny fans or battle royale lovers.
The gunplay is solid, the art and world are cool, but losing loot in this game is a major bummer. Bad matches can be a real downer and without big changes, I don’t think Marathon will get a huge fanbase.
The combat with other players is rare and kinda meh. The lack of memorable moments, cool enemies, and interesting loot caches make Marathon feel kinda empty.
I was surprised by how few human opponents we ran into while playing. The maps are not great and need more work.
I don’t think Marathon will come out in September as planned. The game needs more changes to be a success. I hope I’m wrong, but as of now, I’m not convinced.
Ultimately, Bungie needs to decide if Marathon will be a hardcore shooter or appeal to more players. Maybe they lifted the NDA to see how people react.
I’ll probably play more of the alpha, see if it grows on me. How about you?
