We’re finally about two months away from Marathon’s launch, and I’m beginning to fall for the hype.
Bungie’s Marathon is an extraction shooter like Escape From Tarkov or ARC Raiders, but it puts a twist on it with class-based characters called Runner Shells. These Shells have tide-turning abilities like Triage, which can heal allies, or Thief, who can use a drone to steal loot from other players. But I think the biggest addition to the game is a Shell called Rook.
A new Developer Insights video released today highlighted Rook, which was not present during the game’s maligned alpha tests last year. This is described as a Scavenger class that doesn’t get to bring any of its own loot into the game, and it’s basically the hugely popular ARC Raiders‘ free loadout.
One of the downsides of extraction shooters (while also being one of its main draws) is that many players on the casual end don’t want to lose their gear, or sometimes they just want to play without much consequence. The free loadout in ARC Raiders, and now, I think, Rook in Marathon, are perfect for that and a huge draw for newer fans of the genre vs. weathered veterans who yearn for realism and danger.
Selecting Rook will spawn you into a match already in progress, and it will always be a solo experience. “You risk nothing, and anything you take out is yours to keep,” said Bungie’s Runner team lead Kevin Yanes. And you know what? Hell yeah. Losing my stuff sucks. Let me keep my stuff with little risk involved.
And I know I am not the only player who feels this way. ARC Raiders giving players the chance to risk nothing while potentially gaining some cool stuff has been a big draw in that game, and the main reason why I’ve had so much fun with it, too. I’m not a hardcore extraction player, and neither are the vast majority of gamers that Marathon is trying to target.
If you want to sweat it out in a group of friends, then Marathon has that, too. Weapon and class mods, along with better guns and gear, are yours for the taking, and if you want to deal with some other sweaty players or hardcore PvE endgame foes, then you’ll need to do so. But having the option to always fall back on Rook is crucial, and I think it could end up being one of the main features that helps the game find its footing.
I have no idea if Marathon will be a commercial or financial success, but I do think that Bungie has been saying and doing a lot of positive things since last year’s alpha test left a sour taste in players’ mouths. Let’s hope the full game realizes that sort of potential when it comes out sometime in March.
