Bungie's Marathon Will Be "Challenging And Intense," According To Devs
A new interview with the developers of the upcoming extraction shooter Marathon reveals that the game will offer a challenge for players. The new game from Halo developer Bungie takes place in the sci-fi setting of the 1990s title by the same name. Players will be thrown into the treasure-rich abandoned colony on Tau Ceti IV as Runners, tasked with bringing back as many riches as they can.
The extraction shooter genre isn't for everyone, but Marathon aims to reach broad appeal with its difficulty level. Game Director Joe Ziegler spoke to the PlayStation Blog about the upcoming title, noting that the devs tried to strike a good balance for newcomers to the extraction shooter genre. "I will definitely say that this game is challenging and intense," says Ziegler, "but it’s very rewarding."
Succeeding In Marathon Will Depend On Survival Skills
Failure To Extract Can Have Brutal Reprecussions
The gameplay loop of Marathon consists of players traveling to the abandoned colony in cybernetic bodies to strip it for valuable parts. As they collect loot, they'll have to contend with other Runners, robotic enemies, and even some local wildlife that doesn't appreciate the intrusion. Survival is key to bringing back enough riches to make the risk worth it, and failing to do so can have some very harsh consequences.
Comparing Marathon To 2024's Biggest FPS Failure Is Already A Waste Of Time
Despite a couple of possible comparisons, Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter Marathon looks like a deeply different game from Concord.
Players will have the option of exploring the map to maximize rewards, but failing to extract means losing all your collected items and essentially wiping your progress. Despite the huge repercussions of failure, Ziegler feels confident that Marathon players will be able to hone their survival skills the more they play: "You’ll feel yourself developing survival skills that you may not have experienced before, that begin to make you feel masterful."
Marathon Aims To Give Console And PC Players The Same Experience
It's Challenging, But Not Because Of Your Console Of Choice
There's one thing that players can be sure of when it comes to the difficulty of Marathon: If you fail, it won't be because of your choice of where you play the game. According to Ziegler, both PC and console players were considered during development, ensuring that controller and keyboard Runners both get the best experience.
When it launches, Marathon will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Note that although the game was developed by Sony, it won't require a PSN account for anyone not playing on the PS5.
Ziegler says that the devs "designed this game to feel really natural on controllers as well," so that no part of the challenge will come from dealing from "finnicky" controls. With these potential issues ironed out, players can "focus on adapting and learning those survival skills to pull off memorable runs," according to Ziegler. Marathon promises to bring a challenging but rewarding gaming experience to new and existing fans of extraction shooters when it launches on September 23. A closed alpha is scheduled to begin on April 23.
Source: PlayStation Blog
