The shooter Marathon takes you on a journey back to 1994. Before the big comeback next year, you can play the first part for free
Whether or not you will be satisfied after reading this article depends entirely on what goes through your mind when you look at the image above:
Yuck! What kind of graphic is that, please!
– Sorry, you won’t be happy here, free or not. It’s best to read about the free games currently available from Epic.
That’s the great Marathon, how great! I was still young and crisp back then!
– Rejoice, you’ve come to the right place. The good news for you: Marathon is now available for free on Steam.
(To the Steam page of Marathon )
What kind of game is Marathon?
Don’t worry, sporty types: you don’t have to get up from your desk and dig out your running shoes. Instead, we’re going to do some old-fashioned, uncomplicated shooting here.
The setting of the 1994 sci-fi shooter is quickly summarized. Aliens have invaded the UESC Marathon space station in the Tau Ceti system and as head of security you now have to live up to the qualifications on your CV, i.e. you grab a weapon and compliment
the aliens from the ship.
Simple and entertaining – that is what 92 percent of Steam users who have submitted a rating so far like. In addition to the retro feel, the dark atmosphere and a good storyline for the time are mostly praised
A game from Bungie – but somehow not
Marathon was once developed by Bungie, who would later make a name for themselves with Halo and of course Destiny 2 too. However, the port of Marathon for today’s computers was developed by a group called Aleph One Developers
but always with Bungie’s blessing.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce that the Aleph One community is bringing the original 1994-1996 Marathon Trilogy to Steam starting with Marathon 1.
Thank you to the Marathon community for your support over the years. We couldn’t do it without you.
💾 https://t.co/pDtf6VWqwY pic.twitter.com/Z2f0b3hnww
– Bungie (@Bungie) May 10, 2024
On the website of the project you can even find the complete Marathon trilogy So far, only the first part is available on Steam, but it can be assumed that the sequels will be added later, which should make Marathon better known as a brand again. And for a good reason:
A brand new Marathon will be released in 2025
In the coming year, Marathon will officially continue, as Bungie itself is currently developing a shooter with the same name, but it will be completely different from its ancestor
Because the 2025 marathon will be a PvP extraction shooter to match the current zeitgeist and challenge top dogs like Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown
However, there are still a few parallels to the original. Once again, you are transported to the Tau Ceti system, more precisely to the planet Tau Ceti IV. Colonists have disappeared there and your task is to track them down, recover alien artifacts and confront strange AIs.
In terms of gameplay, you can expect the usual fare, including loot collection and a large map, which you have to leave successfully after completing your objectives without having to kick the bucket first
When exactly Marathon will be launched in 2025 is not yet known. However, the platforms are already known and no big surprises await you here: PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will all be served.
If the prospect of another Extraction shooter doesn’t appeal to you, at least you now have three classic first-person shooters that you don’t even have to pay for.
