Marathon – Stylish, Tense… and Not Always Player-Friendly
Let’s talk about Marathon. Going in I was expecting something very specific. A clean, high-stakes extraction shooter with Bungie’s signature gunplay, layered with atmosphere and long-term progression. Something tense, replayable, and rewarding if you commit the time.
To be honest in a lot of ways, that’s exactly what it is. But the more I played, the more I realised that Marathon is trying to be demanding and sometimes that crosses into frustration, especially if you’re not fully locked into its systems.
Atmosphere and Gunplay Carry Hard
The first thing that hits you is the tone. Marathon leans heavily into a clean, almost sterile sci-fi aesthetic, but underneath that is constant tension. Every run feels uncertain. You don’t really have time to explore, you’re risking everything you’ve picked up while watching your back from bots and runners.
The Gunplay feels sharp, responsive, and familiar in the best way. Bungie still knows how to make weapons feel good. Shooting is satisfying, movement is smooth, and encounters feel impactful.
For the first few hours, I was completely in. Then the reality of the loop started to set in. I mean we are essentially doing the same things over and over again for materials that then give you better upgrades and guns but with a hint of “Do I really want to take that with me on a run and have it get taken away”. Honestly, I’ve had my share of this.
The Extraction Loop is Addictive but Mentally Draining
At its core, Marathon is about risk. You go in, collect gear, complete objectives, and extract before losing everything. That tension is what makes it exciting.
But it also creates a very specific kind of pressure. Some runs feel amazing, I enter a room with my friends, find an amazing gun and then a purple item! Oh that must be something I need and then you escape with your valuable loot, everything clicks, and you feel like you outplayed the system.
Other runs end instantly. I mean I was hiding behind that…maybe they saw my toe! Oh wait, it’s an assassin. And that’s where frustration builds.
Losing progress repeatedly, especially after longer runs, can start to feel less like tension and more like punishment.
The Frustrations in Marathon
After a few rough sessions, I started looking into player discussions, and what I found was that many of your gamers out there shared the same issues.
Time-to-Kill Feels Inconsistent
Some encounters feel fair, I am able to get into some building, find gear and make my way to an extraction point (with some fear of course) but sometimes I run for about 3 mins and hit another squad. I mean did we basically spawn in the same area and why the hell didn’t I take a sponsored kit.
There were moments where I felt fully in control, and others where fights ended before I could react. I found that the balance between weapons, shields and encounters didn’t always feel consistent.
What helped me through my runs
- Play more cautiously instead of pushing fights, honestly, keep your head on a swivel
- Avoiding unnecessary engagements, yes, you can hide or turn around if you spot a team.
- Learning when to disengage instead of committing, sometimes it can help to basically run away (Great if you are playing as Vandal) and then come back minutes later to revive your mates. I have managed to do this successfully a few times in harder fights
Playing Solo Feels Punishing
Marathon can technically be played solo, but it doesn’t always feel designed for it.
Running into coordinated squads while playing alone is one of the biggest frustrations I experienced. It turns encounters into survival rather than strategy. You can play as Rook and gain some initial experience and gear early on. But be careful as there have been times when other teams have waited for me to start my extract and then have taken my gear. Sad times I know, and I am sure some of you have felt this too.
What helped when playing solo
- Playing slower and avoiding high-traffic areas, try to learn the map a little, you will start getting familiar with buildings and even points of interest, like yes let’s just avoid maintenance all together
- Extracting earlier instead of risking everything, is a great way to play. Spend 5 mins grabbing gear and then head towards an extraction point, this is a great way to play if you need to gain some weapons quicky
- Treating solo runs as reconnaissance, not full loot runs
Tip: It also would help to extract at a zone where they spawn bots. Being a rook means you can confuse the bots into thinking you are one of them. This can also act as some cover from players.
Losing Loot Feels Harsh
Losing gear is part of the design, but it doesn’t always feel balanced, as I said before, when you are trying to extract and a thief is waiting with a drone just pulling things out of your bag, damn I hate that. The dev’s have made some improvements to this but it still does happen.
For me, playing a few runs where I lost everything quickly, started to feel discouraging instead of motivating and there were times when I just had to switch off and play something else. I do think there is some tuning needed for the balance of players but that is a different conversation.
What helped:
- Banking smaller wins instead of chasing big ones
- Extracting earlier more often, the game does get harder the longer you stay, you can get better loot but sometimes it’s just not worth it in my experience
- Accepting that not every run is about profit, this will be the case many times, and sometimes just gaining loot might be best
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Repetition Between Runs in Matathon
While each run is technically different, the structure can start to feel familiar quickly. Objectives, routes, and encounters don’t vary enough to always feel fresh, especially during longer sessions. Once you start learning the map, you do start to avoid some areas as these provide you with little to no useful loot.
What helped:
- Changing playstyle between runs, selecting different sponsor side quests can really make the game feel different, even if the map stays the same
- Rotating objectives instead of repeating the same route
- Taking breaks to avoid burnout is probably one of the best things you can do, I feel that sometimes you can be really full of adrenaline that you simply burn out
Performance and Server Stability
This is something I noticed straight away. In busier areas or during intense encounters, performance dips and connection issues can affect gameplay. It’s not constant, but when it happens, it really does slow things down a lot.
This is especially true in a game where one mistake can cost everything. Imagine spending all that time collecting good loot, just to encounter an enemy team and you get lag..yep. Now that’s not fun at all.
The Learning Curve is mostly Adapt or Get Left Behind
Marathon wants you to learn quickly, adapt constantly, and accept failure as part of the experience. Once I stopped trying to “win” every run and started focusing on learning instead, the game became much more manageable. That mindset shift made a huge difference to my gameplay. Remember that this is a game at the end of the day and you will get back most if not all of the items you have lost and perhaps even better loot once you understand how the game works.
What I think Marathon Gets Right
Even with the frustrations, there’s a lot here that works. The atmosphere is strong. The tension is real. The gunplay is some of the best in the genre. And when a run goes well, it feels incredible . There’s a level of intensity here that few games manage to capture. That’s what kept me playing.
So, how melty is it?
Marathon is not a casual experience. It’s a game that demands attention, patience, and a willingness to lose progress over and over again. If you’re okay with that, there’s a lot to love here.
If you’re not, it can feel exhausting very quickly. I didn’t stop playing, but I definitely started playing differently. That’s the key with Marathon, you learn and adapt to the game, experiment with different shells and perks, and even try playing solo from time to time. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Honestly, though compared to the kind of launch-day frustration seen in Arc Raiders – Launch Chaos with Server Queues, Lag and Crashes, Marathon at least feels like a game that rewards sticking with it once you settle into its rhythm.
You can learn more about the game on the official Marathon website
