My excitement levels for Marathon hit rock bottom in the middle of last year, with rival extraction shooter Arc Raiders turning my head and keeping me hooked ever since its Server Slam playtest. However, after Bungie delayed the game and took extra time to cook, more recent glimpses of Marathon have renewed my interest greatly – upgraded visuals, insights into maps, and more have brought the buzz back. So too has today’s full unveiling of its lineup of Runner Shells. Not only do I spot some tasty looking abilities that tickle the Destiny 2 section of my little gamer brain, but there appears to be a lot more variety with these Shells than I previously thought.
Marathon has endured many punches to the gut over the past couple of years, and it’s been painful for me (as a Destiny 2 enjoyer and general Bungie fan) to watch it go from a mouth-watering prospect to a constantly dunked-on extraction shooter. One of the biggest blows it received was the less-than-enthusiastic reception to its hero shooter-esque approach. I had serious doubts, and was worried some Valorant-ification was occurring under the watch of new game director Joe Ziegler, who’d joined after working on Riot’s FPS game.
However, as new details have emerged, I’ve become more accepting of Marathon’s Runner Shells due to their highly customizable nature – buildcrafting is a big focus, so picking a Runner won’t be as prescriptive as, say, picking a hero in Overwatch.
While I’m still slightly concerned that it’ll throw up too many balance issues in a subgenre that’s all about high personal stakes, with your loot constantly on the line, today’s deep dive into Runner Shells has made me even more optimistic that they could be a good thing for the game. We get a proper in-depth look at the Destroyer, Assassin, Recon, Vandal, Triage, and Thief Shells, as well as Rook, a solo-only option with a basic kit that acts like the Free Loadout system in Arc Raiders.
I’m seeing some really interesting abilities across these kits, and the Destiny inspiration is clear. Destroyer’s barricade and movement that lets him charge into battle is reminiscent of the Titan class, while Thief’s grapple hook (which simply latches onto thin air) feels a lot like the Strand subclass grapple that’s incredibly fun to use.
But this is way more than copying the Destiny team’s homework. There are some really cool ideas here. I love how Rook can trigger an ability to mask them from PvE opponents, letting you loot hotspots or clean up after dead players with less risk. The fact that Triage, the ‘healer’ Runner, still has abilities that increase firepower to make him a combat threat is refreshing to see. But Thief steals the show for me. In Bungie’s own words, this Shell is for those who are all about the “loot goblin fantasy.”
Like Loba in Apex Legends, Thief can scan environments to detect high-tier loot, saving the time you’d usually spend rummaging through every container you find in a room. You’ve also got a drone, which is great for scouting and pinging targets, but it does more than just that. It has a “mechanical whip” attachment that can knock loot out of players’ inventories, before sucking up whatever fell on the ground, and dropping it in your Runner’s lap. Sensational. Plus, throw in that aforementioned grappling hook, and I’m looking at my day one Shell for sure.
Marathon’s firmly back on my menu. As someone obsessed with Bungie’s work and currently totally absorbed by Arc Raiders, I was never not going to try the game, but now I’ve got more hope than ever that I’ll be playing it for more than just the first few excitement-fueled days.
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