As a Marathon fan, here’s what I like and dislike about the new game

Marathon is a game series by Bungie that may sound familiar to those who played first-person shooters on their Mac OS computers in the mid-1990s. Known by some at the time as ‘Doom on Mac, with sci-fi’, Marathon was a big hit with players, thanks to its fun campaign mode, smart enemy AI, and a narrative that kept you guessing throughout.

So it was a surprise when Bungie announced a new Marathon in 2020 as an online PvP FPS. Instead of a campaign, players must drop into a match, work with others, and be extracted safely with the loot intact. With a launch date of March 5, here’s what I like and don’t like from the game so far, from someone who has played the previous three titles.

Bungie clearly wanted to go for a design in Marathon that more mirrored the magazine ads of the late 90s, with bright colours, sharp-angled objects, and lots more. In every screenshot and piece of gameplay footage, you can see how clean the user interface is, resulting in a look that feels modern yet unique, setting it apart from other titles like Highguard.

Granted, it doesn’t feel like an evolution from previous Marathon games, but that’s likely the point. Having played these, you got the sense that they were heavily inspired by Doom and System Shock. But for this new entry, Bungie is making sure that a colourful, stylish palette defines Marathon for 2026.

Back when Marathon was available as an early access title in April 2025, many players, myself included, were vocal about its faults. The enemy AI wasn’t challenging enough, and there were frequent glitches. There were also too many dull areas in the maps and barely any story, which took away what made Marathon great to play back in the day.

But Bungie, as it has with the Halo and Destiny games, took all the criticism on board, and in July 2025, declared a mantra to focus on various things. Fast forward to 2026, and it looks like a far better game, with a bigger narrative focus, an easy-to-read user interface, and every map feeling more varied. It’s only energised the hype as we approach its March 5 release.

Runners are a big part of what makes Marathon so fun to play. There are four to choose from, called Blackbird, Glitch, Locus, and Void, each with individual roles. This includes abilities such as overcharging weapons, leaving a holographic trail of an enemy, activating stealth camouflage, and more.

Compared to previous Marathon games, where you mainly played as a shipboard security officer, it’s certainly a different way of coming back into the world. For an online PvP FPS, however, it works and makes sense. Each of these runners offers variety and different ways of working with a team.

The lack of a single-player campaign is the biggest drawback to me. What always pulled me in with the previous Marathon games was great story. You could interact with certain AI terminals that could guide you as to what was happening, or not happening. It kept you guessing as you ran through corridors and swam through water.

Considering this is Bungie, known for iconic campaign modes in Halo and Destiny, it’s a shame that Marathon will launch in March without one. Hopefully, there are plans for one, as previous titles offered narratives that set them apart from other first-person shooters. If there is, Bungie could offer a Campaign that’s completely different compared to other titles in 2026.

Despite Bungie being owned by Sony since 2020, it’s great to see Marathon coming to Xbox Series S/X consoles in March, as well as PlayStation 5 and PC. However, I’m baffled that it’s not coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. Considering the console’s graphics chip is comparable to a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, part of the minimum specs for Marathon, it feels like a missed opportunity.

Bungie has yet to release Destiny to the Switch 2, nor any of its previous catalogue. Having Marathon on Switch 2 could have been a great way to play the game on the go, as well as for those able to play it on a Steam Deck. As someone who takes their Switch 2 wherever they go, it would have been great to play Marathon on the train. Alas, it’s seemingly not meant to be.

In fairness, Marathon shows a lot of promise, and that’s helped by Bungie taking 2025’s criticisms on board, and essentially re-announcing it for a March 5 release. The graphics pop out more, the AI-characters look like they’re more forceful as allies and enemies, ramping up the fun, and every map has more ways to reach certain areas.

But I can’t help but feel that a big part of what made Marathon great in the 1990s is still missing. Bungie could have given this title a completely different name, and players wouldn’t have noticed. I will be playing the game once it’s out next month, but I hope Bungie is looking into a dedicated single-player campaign to reflect on Marathon’s narrative roots and why so many players got into the games over 30 years ago.