The return of the Marathon series has taken quite a turn, moving from its roots as a single-player adventure to now embracing a multiplayer extraction shooter concept. What’s surprising is the absence of traditional story missions or cutscenes. Instead, it’s up to gamers to piece together the narrative, gathering hints and snippets left throughout the game’s universe.
Without a solo campaign to guide players along, Marathon’s storytelling needs to step up significantly to convey its intricate world. Thankfully, Bungie is no stranger to weaving rich tales indirectly. Over the years, Destiny’s lore has stood out as a hallmark of standout storytelling within the live-service genre. Drawing upon this experience—and the high bar set by its cinematic quality—Marathon is in a position to elevate storytelling in extraction shooters to new heights.
Typically, games like Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown have prioritized gameplay over narrative depth. Tarkov keeps its focus tight on gameplay mechanics, while Hunt leverages its atmospheric setting for flavor. Meanwhile, Fortnite has made its mark by teaming up with a plethora of different IPs. By contrast, Bungie has a reputation for crafting compelling narratives. The Halo series, particularly the original trilogy, remains an iconic milestone in gaming storylines. Transitioning to Destiny, Bungie proved it could construct an even broader narrative universe despite early missteps.
This storytelling prowess could very well be Marathon’s ace in the hole. The genre is ripe for a game to shake things up, especially one with a trove of backstory to build upon. Marathon has the opportunity to follow Destiny’s playbook, setting up story elements through lore and bringing them to life in grand events over time.
Bungie’s talent was displayed in a big way with the release of Marathon’s cinematic short by director Alberto Mielgo, known for his work on Love, Death and Robots. This collaborative effort reignited interest in Marathon’s story world. If the game can incorporate more such elements, we could see a surge in excitement and engagement.
Furthermore, Bungie excels in creating community-driven stories, as seen in recent Marathon alternate reality games (ARGs) that unfold on social media. Often employing in-game secrets to engage players in solving vast puzzles—take the Corridors of Time from Destiny’s Season of Dawn—Marathon could adopt similar strategies to scatter clues throughout its maps that, when pieced together, lead to significant discoveries.
Content creators have played a pivotal role in elevating Destiny’s lore, bringing intricate stories to light that players might’ve missed. Bungie should aim to recreate this vibrant community with Marathon; ongoing lore discussions can sustain player interest, even during quieter periods, as fans eagerly unravel what’s next in the story.
Bungie’s track record with narrative evolution, from Destiny’s rocky beginnings to standout expansions like Forsaken, showcases its ability to learn and adapt. With this experience, Marathon could debut with an unexpectedly compelling storyline. Even skeptics of the extraction shooter genre might find themselves drawn in, if only to see what Bungie has in store.
