🐛 Bungie, PLEASE consider improving SOLO support further, as for now in many places it feels like an afterthought. Not even counting endgame activities that dont have solo support altogether. I truly believe extraction shooters are PEAKING in solos, maximum duos. You get maximum focus and immersion, and all of wins and losses are yours alone. Trios just feels like a battle royale, and we already have plenty of those. Hunt: Showdown is a great example of solo implementation and how all team sizes can share the same map while still offering a fair and fun experience for everyone

🎨 But other than that, this game is just pure ART™. All aspects are great, want to specifically point out the truly unique soundtrack and captivating story. I dont remember another multiplayer focused game that made me spend so much time reading/listening to logs and actually care about its lore. Its also great how many gameplay mechanics are explained through lore reasons, love when games do that. And lastly, its genuinely impressive how the game stays faithful to the original Marathon games while masterfully modernizing them. Great time

I've been torn on what to rate Marathon, particularly in the last 10 hours or so that I've played. Ultimately I can't recommend the game in its current state to other players like me, namely people who primarily play solo and/or simply can't or don't want to spend most of their free time playing it.

The biggest reasons are simple, firstly the actual solo part of the game was clearly an afterthought and the game isn't balanced around it at all. Not only do you gain faction rep at on average a third of the rate as other players, there are quite a few activities that can be prohibitively hard to do solo especially if you are new. And this is before I mention that the onboarding of the game is genuinely terrible, so new player retention is already going to be quite low, even before you realize most of them will likely quit in short order even if they get past the intro.

Next is a massive gear/upgrade curve that makes the divide between a normal person and a hardcore player (Tryhards, sweats or whatever the community calls them) even bigger. I played Marathon almost since the day it came out, and have a to my mind completely reasonable amount of hours played, and I almost can't explain to you how far behind the curve I now am. I fight people that have more health, deal more damage, have better gear and generally better stats. Its already a struggle for me to fight somebody who is really good at shooters, now imagine that amplified by that persons character being better than mine in most ways. The first say 15-20 hours it felt like the spread was somewhat fair, I saw more people on my level by far than I saw any hardcore players with a massive level advantage, but now I am being hunted by fully purple kitted god warriors, sniping me the moment I fart a bit too loudly.

The final nail for me is the simple fact that I think Marathon has a very limited lifespan for anybody that doesn't want to play it on a Hardcore level. Player counts werent huge to begin with, and now every day the playerbase gets smaller and smaller. The above mentioned problems are gonna be twice as bad in 2 weeks, and four times as bad in a month. I'm already sitting in solo queue for up to 5 minutes sometimes, only to then be killed a few minutes in, and then the waiting starts over. The release of Cryo archive also communicates to me that Bungie likely doesn't care about players like me either way, since that map is more content for trio sweats.

All of this is a genuine shame, for about 15 hours Marathon was some of the most fun I've had with a shooter in ages. But then you start hitting this wall more and more, you exfil less and less. And eventually you realize you're just fodder for the people taking the game more seriously than you do.

I'd like to preface this review by saying this - I am in no way a fan of PvP. I do not seek it out, and I don't think I've genuinely enjoyed a competitive PvP game since I quit Dota2. That being said, I greatly enjoy the concept of extraction games - the general game loop tickles my loot goblin brain just right. The best medicine for it has been Singleplayer Tarkov (look it up if you don't know what it is, you'll thank me later). And I must say, Marathon has become one of the more unique experiences I’ve had in this genre.

I've approached this game with caution. As a long-term fan of Marathon, I was initially really excited to see a modern take on the established universe. Though, admittedly, that excitement dipped when I learned this new title would be PvP-focused/forced. After watching from the sidelines for about two weeks, I eventually gave in - and I'll admit, it's not what I expected, both in good and bad ways.

The gunplay is where the game immediately won me over. It feels responsive in a way that's hard to quantify but easy to notice - engagements are fast, reactive, and heavily dependent on moment-to-moment decision making rather than just raw power. Positioning, ability timing, and awareness matter just as much as mechanical skill. Different runners (classes) bring very distinct tools into fights, and more importantly, they stay relevant regardless of your playstyle. You don't have to be the one landing the final shot to contribute - scouting, utility usage, support, and map control all feel like meaningful roles within a squad.

What I really appreciate about Marathon’s PvP is that you don’t have to be a top-tier PvP player to still enjoy yourself. A big part of the game is being smart about engagements. You’ll often run into other players who are better geared, and you need to assume they’ll have superior armor and shields. But that kind of situation never feels unwinnable. Sure, a direct gunfight isn’t always the best move - you will likely lose that exchange. Instead, the game rewards creativity. You can set up ambushes, start fights on your terms - throw a grenade when the enemy team is bunched up, drop a claymore trap, or use the environment to gain an edge. The game doesn’t punish you harshly for a bad run. Even if you go out with only gray-level gear, you still get that sense of progression - you can jump right back in, keep experimenting, and not be weighed down by a fear of gear-loss.

That said, PvP time-to-kill does lean on the faster side, which may be a turn-off if you prefer drawn-out engagements. Personally, I would have liked slightly longer fights, but it doesn't feel out of place given the overall pace the game is aiming for.

One of Marathon’s standout design choices is how it leans into group play. The entire structure, both PvP and PvE, is balanced around three-player squads. While you absolutely can (and probably will) run solo, whether as a standard shell or a Rook (which is essentially the Marathon equivalent of Tarkov’s Scav runs), the core game loop is fundamentally designed for teams. PvE encounters especially are balanced around multiple players, so the first time you tackle UESC squads alone, you might find yourself outmatched.

This will definitely shape how some players feel about the game - if you prefer lone wolf runs, you might get frustrated by the difficulty spikes (or encouraged if you're the type of person to have fun in 1v3 fights). Speaking of group play, one aspect that is a clear part of Marathon’s design is how integral the voice communication system is. You're not forced to engage with voice chat, but from experience, it changes the entire flow of a match. The reason I mention it is because without it, you might miss out on a layer of strategy that the game was specifically designed to foster.

One additional layer worth mentioning is the game’s meta-progression. Over time, you build reputation with different factions, unlocking upgrades that provide permanent boosts to your character. This means that even if you struggle early on, there’s a steady sense of forward momentum - your runs are still contributing to long-term strength.

On paper, this might sound like it creates an increasing gap between players, but that’s where the seasonal wipe structure comes into play. Progression isn’t permanent in the long run - each new season resets the playing field. In practice, this creates a balance between short-term growth and long-term fairness. You’re rewarded for your time investment, but the game avoids becoming dominated by entrenched, fully-maxed players.

I ultimately wish this game had a dedicated PvE mode - or at least a clearer separation between PvP and PvE content. However, I can't deny that over my ~20 hours of play, I've grown to appreciate how the two are blended. The game doesn't constantly force player encounters, which is crucial. You have room to loot, rotate, and make decisions without feeling like you're permanently in a deathmatch. When PvP does happen, it carries weight - there's tension in almost every fight.

I've seen some people dismiss Marathon's PvE elements as trivial or just filler, and I don't think that's entirely fair. While AI enemies won't replace real players in terms of unpredictability, they serve an important role in shaping the flow of a run. They create noise and can absolutely punish unprepared teams. I've personally seen squads get wiped by UESC Commanders simply because they underestimated them or got caught mid-engagement.

Overall, Marathon sits in an interesting space. It obviously won't fully satisfy players looking for a pure PvE experience, and it may feel too forgiving or structured for hardcore PvP purists (I'm looking at you Tarkov chads). But for someone like me - who typically avoids PvP but enjoys high-stakes progression systems - it manages to strike a surprisingly engaging balance.

It's not the Marathon I originally expected, but it is one I've found myself coming back to and slowly falling in love with. If you’re PvP-averse but curious about extraction shooters, this is one of the few that might win you over.