While the playtests for Marathon have been going on since the extraction shooter’s release date got postponed indefinitely, details about it have been sparse owing to the strict NDA that developer Bungie has been using. However, one playtest player has managed to upload some gameplay clips from Marathon, which can be spotted on Bilibili, which give us a look at the progress that the studio has made in the game’s development.
The gameplay clips show off quite a few of the different maps in Marathon, including Dire Marsh, Perimeter and Outpost, These maps have clearly gotten quite a few visual upgrades, making better and more interesting use of colour that also helps quite a bit in navigation. The clips also showcased some of the weapons that players can make use of, including the assault rifle and the shotgun. These weapons have also seemingly seen improvements in the visual department.
Along with this, we also got a look at the new redesigned Medic runner, which makes more prominent use of a white colour palette with dashes of red thrown in to evoke the visual aesthetic of real-world symbolism associated with medics and doctors. Another runner was also spotted in the list, and has been described by some as the equivalent of a Scav from Escape From Tarkov or the free kit from ARC Raiders, which gives players basic weapons and tools to hop into a game quickly.
Details about Marathon and its playtests getting leaked is a semi-regular occurrence at this point. September saw a similar leak thanks to a Destiny 2 data miner who showcased some of the improvements that had been made to the extraction shooter. The leaks also revealed a new runner – Icon – who was originally codenamed Thief. The runner has their own unique gameplay mechanics thanks to abilities like an X-ray vision mode as well as a grappling hook.
At the time, the leaks also noted improvements having been made to the Outpost map, like the addition of environmental hazard. A new map that makes use of the UESC Marathon – the space ship that served as the main setting of the original 1994 Marathon – as its core setting was also revealed. This map will feature puzzles and other gameplay systems that make exploration more engaging. The map was, however, still noted as being unfinished at the time.
More recently, Bungie had announced that Marathon would be getting its next Community Playtest on December 12, and would go on until the 15th. Players can sign up for the playtest across PC as well as consoles, and even those that have taken part in previous playtests will have to apply once more to get access to the new one. It is also worth noting that the upcoming playtest will only be available to players in North America.
In the meantime, check out what Alberto Mielgo – known for his work on Love, Death, and Robots – has said in response to accusations that the Marathon cinematic short that he had directed was made using generative AI.
