Marathon's Vibe Has Darkened A Lot Since Its Initial Announcement

When it was first revealed by developer Bungie, I wasn’t exactly sold on Marathon. I’ve only recently dipped my toe into extraction shooters and have fallen in love with Arc Raiders, but at the time, I didn’t think Marathon would be for me.

While that’s all changed now, and I’m very much ready for a first-person sci-fi extraction shooter, I’ve lost track of the vibe Marathon is going for. After this month’s State of Play, it feels like a much darker and more story-driven title, a transition I didn’t expect given the early trailers.

Marathon Seems To Be Less Sci-Fi Action Fun And More Dark, Gritty, Survival

The above trailer is the first gameplay reveal for Marathon, shown first in 2025. You can hear our boy Ben Starr voicing one of the game’s sinister AI agents as he goads the Runner Shells on, willing them to fight, kill, and repeat.

I’ve got to add in here that I know absolutely nothing about the major changes the game underwent when it was discovered that most of Marathon‘s art was inspired by (then) stolen artwork. I believe this was the catalyst for its vibe change, though.

The trailer above is from 2026’s first State of Play, and it’s way more serious and dark. I would say it’s forced, but I don’t have any evidence of that. Today, in February 2026, the game feels like it’s aiming to be a lot more like Destiny 2 than anything else.

The thing is, I don’t know if this vibe change is good, bad, or if it’s not really a change but was, in fact, the vibe all along. Bungie may well have had a darker storyline hiding behind the hyped up fun and adrenaline-filled early trailers, but we just didn’t know it at the time.

I’m still going to go into Marathon with an open mind because it’s a new live-service game that I can add to the growing roster I play daily, and I’d really love to have a solid sci-fi shooter to dive into. It’s not going to take much to win me over, but I do expect something that, as far as I’m concerned, Destiny 2 lacks: consistency.

I adore the Destiny universe, but I had to stop playing the games when a major shift was made towards forcing players to grind. Marathon has a chance here to be a fresh start for Bungie with a brand new fan base and go in knowing what the direction is, so that it doesn’t break the lore, core fun gameplay mechanics, or community at any point.

There are dark sides to almost every sci-fi story, even Treasure Planet has some terrifying moments. I don’t mind any of that, but I’d be remiss to say this vibe change hasn’t got my back up just a little bit. Hopefully, Bungie stays the course and brings out a consistent narrative so that Marathon is the best game it’s released since Destiny.

If you want to know what our thoughts on Marathon are after the upcoming Server Slam or with the full game on release, keep an eye on our socials and our free Patreon membership.

Jamie Moorcroft Sharp

Editor

Jamie adores the indie games that you don’t hear about until you’re on a video essay binge at 3AM and suddenly the sound of them changes your life. He’s played games all his life and loves looking at the intricate details that make them magical and different. If there’s a wierd list, embarrassing feature, or something else far too out there on Bonus Action, there’s a good chance he wrote it. But that’s not all! He’s also an absolute fiend who never knows when to stop when he puts on his dirty robes and takes on his D&D persona as a Mud Warlock who acts on that tiny voice in your head when it wonders what would happen if you did something really dumb right now. He’s easy to beat in a TGC, though, just keep an eye out for his crazy card combos.

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