Jabril GoodnerMarathon, Bungie’s new PvPvE FPS shooter, has caused quite the frenzy online amongst gamers due to its unique, bright, neon, cyberpunk-esque aesthetics and its very, what some would say, unoriginal FPS extraction shooter gameplay loop. This has led to comparisons with Escape from Tarkov and Apex Legends.
Much of the internet’s criticism points out that Marathon, being yet another FPS live-service game designed to hook players with battle passes, cosmetics, and drip fed content, is just a rehash of a tired model that many in the gaming community are ready to move on from. Others criticize the minimalist and sometimes simplistic art direction and graphical fidelity, saying the game resembles a glorified Roblox more than a groundbreaking AAA title from Bungie, the studio behind genre defining classics like Halo and Destiny.
I think many of these criticisms about the game “looking bad” are a bit of a stretch. The game’s aesthetic is, in my opinion, appealing, very experimental, with an avant garde approach and art house like cinematics. It’s reminiscent of an open sourced, psychedelic viewing experience similar to the 2003 animated film anthology The Animatrix, where each of the nine short films was set in the Matrix universe but had different animation styles and directors. Marathon gives off similar vibes. It’s experimental, utilizing various animation techniques, noisy sound design, and bright colors to immerse players in a universe that is anything but earthly.
I like it, but I’m not sure that games with such experimental visuals have ever performed well on the scale a AAA live service game needs to. As expected, the game’s visual style has divided fans. Combine that with a gameplay loop that feels familiar, and you’ve got a recipe for polarized audience opinion.
My primary concern is this: whether you like the game or not, will it be liked enough by enough gamers to sustain itself in the long run? We frequently see FPS titles and games in general shut down because of low player counts and poor in game monetization. Consider Spectre Divide, a tactical shooter that didn’t last a year before it was scheduled for cancellation, or XDefiant by Ubisoft, another Call of Duty like FPS that was also discontinued. And what about Concord, a game pulled from stores and refunded within a week of release?
I’d be more optimistic about Marathon if it were based on an IP that people were already invested in, but it’s a reboot of a relatively obscure 90s shooter. I’d also be more hopeful if it were free-to-play, but it’s not. Given that it’s from a legendary AAA developer, it comes with a premium price tag.
So the question remains: are FPS fans, conditioned by decades of Call of Duty, nostalgic for the original Halo trilogy, battle tested in the punishing world of Escape from Tarkov, or committed to hero shooters like Overwatch and Marvel Rivals, ready to enter the avant garde, futuristic, neon drenched, rectangular world of Marathon? Only time will tell if Bungie can win over the skeptics.
