I’ve played Marathon’s server slam for over 20 hours at this point across the weekend, and there’s a lot I learned about the game Bungie has been cooking in recent years. It’s an extraction shooter with the studio’s signature gunplay, coupled with an overly stimulating art design and intimidating UI layout that can make the first hours a major turn-off for many players.Â
In the first five hours, it made me realize that this game requires so much of my attention to absorb all of its systems and how their loadout system works, from shells overheating, the difference between Cores and Implants, the importance of progression through Factions, and how to prevent yourself from struggling with the basic resources to have a decent loadout. Marathon is so complex in both artistic direction and onboarding that it makes sense that some players would fall off after a few hours.
It’s a game where you die over and over, mostly to the AI that are relentless when you are spotted, and against players that can easily take you out with one clip of their gun. The early moments of this game aren’t inviting in the slightest, as you are thrown into picking up items you barely understand, and when you meet the AI enemies, their sponginess and damage will be an eye opener to the game’s brutality. Then, your first player encounter is met with a shoot first mentality, likely a shocker for Arc Raiders players that spam the emote “Don’t shoot!”
These are all staple elements in an extraction shooter, a subgenre made famous by Escape from Tarkov. But the brutal gameplay and not having enough onboarding to get players fully prepared for the reality of the gameplay loop is only part of the problem new players will face.
This is Not Arc Raiders
It’s confusing when I point out the brutality found in extraction shooters, as we have Embark Studios applying a solid formula in Arc Raiders, a game that’s also an extraction shooter, but found a way to be friendly to the casual audiences. Thanks to its success, expectations are up there in the hopes of Marathon providing the same unique experience. Bungie’s latest isn’t even close to being that, as it feels Marathon will live somewhere in between Arc Raiders and Escape from Tarkov, with it slightly leaning towards Tarkov.
The UI and itemization will frustrate curious players, and they constitute a big roadblock. Navigating through the game’s menu to prepare your loadout and upgrade yourself through Factions is so all over the place that it took hours for me to finally get used to it. It’s reported to be even worse for controller players, as you navigate the inventory with a cursor similar to how Destiny 2 players handle their inventory with a controller.Â
Even the icons aren’t instantly recognizable. Weapon attachments (which is the major factor of a gun’s effectiveness and rarity) are not clear at first glance, so I still spend time hovering over each one to find out what it does, exactly. When I find an implant or Core, I also spend time hovering over the item to see what it is and see if it’s fitting for the Shell I’m currently using. After hours of playing the game, not everything feels instant yet. Consumables eventually become recognizable, but I still have not grasped the difference between rarities in weapons, items, and gear, which makes loot not all that exciting at the beginning.Â
Players may be surprised by how quickly they go down, which will lead to frustration for some. The art style is unique but loud, as if it’s blasting through the screen with such vibrant colors. It also doesn’t help that it will take a while until you fully grasp how essential Faction progression is to being a more successful Runner, plus what items are valuable, and what’s simply junk.Â
Marathon does have free loadouts in the form of Sponsored Kits to ease the pain, allowing players to do a run with no risk when dying. They also have a Shell called the Rook, specifically designed for players to scavenge for items solo with again, no risk at all. There are two systems to combat what the community calls “gear fear”, which I think they do pretty well.
That may sound inviting to players not familiar with the game, but the first day of server slam was met with a another pain point, as PVP encounters felt minimal, which doesn’t make sense for a game that will introduce a ranked system weeks after launch. The lack of player interaction, be it friendly or PVP, felt limited to at least one encounter per run based on my experience. The rest of the run you’ll be looting and walking around, and that is another pressure point that can bore players.
As for the enemy AI, they are just humanoid robots with different guns and abilities. One has a shield, some can go invisible, some go head first while firing grenades at your team’s direction, and I encountered a boss-like enemy type that can spawn clones of himself. Most are tanky for free loadout players, and they all hurt. That’s mostly what you’ll encounter in the game in your initial hours, and it’s unfortunate that the possibility of encountering a player during day 1 of the server slam was low, giving the impression that it’s a dead world.Â
Bungie confirmed that the reason why player interaction is low is because players already die quickly to enemy AI. True or not, it stole the first impressions for many. The damage has been done.
A Game Clicking on Day 2 is a Day Too Long
On day 2, that’s when I feel the gameplay loop pushing me to keep playing. I saw the benefits of upgrades found in each faction, how to earn ammo and healing items cheaply, and now understand the valuable items, as it felt expensive buying key items outright. When fights happen, they are quick, snappy, and thrilling. But they are still short bursts. Gunfights that start can end seconds after, then the silence continues. Third-party situations are happening more, but not in the same amount found in other games, so I can’t say for certain whether this is Bungie adjusting how many players there will be in each lobby, but they are vocal and acknowledging the comments and impressions so far.
But that’s the problem. A game clicking on day 2 is a day too long. Marathon struggles to get you onboard after a few hours. The game demands a lot out of a player to take the time and absorb what they have on offer. Quests are vague and the game’s map doesn’t tell you where you can find the high-value items. This made me think that another contributor as to why player encounters felt rare on day 1 was because no one knew where to go exactly beyond their active quests.
Strong Shooting Can’t Fix Early Friction
There’s potential here, but Marathon’s initial hours are weak at best, as the game will struggle to hook most players, which isn’t a good starting point considering this is a $40 online product when it launches on March 5th. I feel like it’s not going to be an entertaining game to watch and farm clips for, as the game struggles to show what it’s trying to be. Gameplay can be slow and methodical, then suddenly become fast and arcade-y in an instant. Gameplay can also be so inconsistent that it feels like it’s asking for patience, which is too much of an ask in this age of instant gratification.
As I pour more hors into the game, I’m enjoying it more either solo or with teams. But the pain points mentioned will sting and color a player’s first day with the game, and because of that, I can’t see this being an instant hit at launch.Â
Server Slam features two of the four maps with one Shell and one Faction still locked to the public. How the game feels with everything unlocked is key for the game to have a strong retention to the players they hooked in with marketing and through the server slam, and if word of mouth will push people to go through the game’s initial hours.
I expect Marathon to go through a rough launch week despite being a polished product. Compared to alpha footage, the game has visually improved with little to no performance issues present, so the long delay did have a positive impact. Gunplay so far has been solid for the most part, and it’s clear Bungie hasn’t missed a beat as it feels great when I start shooting and moving around.
On top of this, the game is coming in with baggage. It got delayed due to art being used in the game without the artist’s permission, and they made a mistake of showing the game’s alpha test, which shows a very unpolished and unappealing game. Bungie is also the developer, being a well-known studio best known for their work on the Destiny franchise and Halo, so expectations are high due to their lofty reputation. We then have Destiny 2 players who are not happy with the studio right now due to the game’s recent expansions, so they’re not entirely thrilled that Bungie has resources being spent on a new title that delivers a completely different experience.
There are even people on the internet that are very vocal on what they think about the game, constantly being negative in a streamer’s chat the moment Server Slam went live, showing that many have made up their mind of what they think of Marathon despite not even playing it. This tribe vs tribe mentality needs to be discussed and dissected at a later date.
Peanut tells it how it is LMAO
Love this guy pic.twitter.com/xstFntmRzQ— Jingelhymer (@jingelhymer) February 27, 2026
Bungie has survived rough launches before, with the Destiny franchise taking years to find its footing and build a loyal audience. But that was a different era. Based on recent years, players are more frustrated and angry, and patience is paper-thin as players don’t sit well with live-service titles anymore. Based on the Server Slam, Marathon has a commendable foundation with excellent gunplay and a striking art direction, but asks a lot from a player at the beginning before it starts to show its good side. I’m cautiously optimistic about its potential, though whether the full game can keep players invested long enough to reach that point remains the biggest question heading into launch.
About the Author – Carlos Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.
