Marathon 2026 review: revival or letdown?

It’s funny how some game announcements just hit different. When Bungie dropped that first teaser for a new Marathon, I think a lot of us old-timers felt that little jolt of nostalgia. Here we are, finally staring down the barrel of a March 2026 release, and the chatter is getting loud. There’s even whispers floating around about a potential early test window sometime between February 26th and March 2nd, which would give the hardcore fans a chance to poke and prod at it before the floodgates open. The big question, obviously, is whether this thing is going to be a glorious return to form or just another bump in the road for a studio that’s had a complicated decade. Diving into Marathon ahead of its March launch, the game’s intense PvP echoes the unpredictability of luck, as seen in many other titles or casinos that pay out real cash, demonstrating how the random element is essential to adding an extra thrill to the gaming experience.

An epic revival or post-Destiny disappointment?

So, let’s just address the elephant in the room. Bungie isn’t the same hungry studio that made the original Marathon or even the one that rebooted Halo. They’re the live-service kings now, for better or worse. And that’s where the skepticism creeps in. On one hand, this Marathon looks absolutely nothing like the game I played on my old PowerMac. It’s a full-blown extraction shooter, a PvPvE affair that cribs more from Escape from Tarkov than it does from the 90s sci-fi FPS. That could be an epic revival if they nail the tension and the loop, but it could also feel like just another entry in a crowded genre if they don’t bring that signature Bungie magic. They’ve got the lore chops, but after the rollercoaster of Destiny 2, my optimism is a little guarded, you know?

Graphics and the new visual identity

Visually, the thing is undeniably a stunner. From the trailers, they’re going for this kind of grimy, lived-in retro-futurism that actually works. It’s not the clean, colorful sci-fi of Destiny; it’s dirtier, with a lot more grain and grit. The character models and the environments have this weight to them, like everything’s been through a war. It’s a smart move, visually separating itself from their other work. But I’m always a bit wary of pre-release footage. We’ve all been burned by the “downgrade” before, right? The real test will be if the art direction holds up under the chaos of a full multiplayer match, or if it just becomes a blur of particle effects.

Chaotic multiplayer and the PvPvE puzzle

And that multiplayer is, from what we can gather, going to be properly chaotic. It’s not just you against other players; you’ve got these AI-controlled enemies called “Bugs” roaming the map, creating these unpredictable three-way firefights. The whole concept of the “Runner” class, where you’re not just a soldier but a cybernetic treasure hunter trying to extract with loot, adds a layer of strategy that’s way deeper than a standard team deathmatch. It’s like the tension is baked into the premise. You’re always one bad decision away from losing everything you scavenged, and that kind of pressure cooker is either incredibly addictive or just frustrating.

Walking in the footsteps of the 90s

It’s also impossible to ignore the shadow of the ’90s classics that this game is technically following. We’re talking about the original Marathon, sure, but also Doom, Quake, and System Shock. Those games were all about tight, fast movement and a sense of isolation. This new version is replacing that isolation with squad-based tension and a slower, more methodical pace. Some purists are going to hate that, and I get it. It’s a different beast entirely. It’s like putting a modern V8 engine in a vintage muscle car; it might drive better, but does it feel the same? Probably not. And you have to wonder, if the grind gets too steep, will people be tempted to look up shortcuts, like the kind you’d find for old-school video game cheats that just ruined the fun back in the day? That instant gratification would kill the very tension this game is trying to build.