![\"mar1\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769537470_176_0x0.jpg\")
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There has been a lot of talk about \u201caesthetic\u201d in games lately, particularly in the new PvP shooter market. Some games have it. Everyone loved the stylization that Marvel Rivals used for those classic heroes and villains. Some games don\u2019t. Concord was torched for being exceptionally ugly, and the recently launched Highguard is accused of being generic and muddled<\/a>. But Marathon? Marathon has the aesthetic. Marathon has aura.<\/p>\n This has been the case since day one, when Bungie released the first Marathon trailer that remains fantastic to this day. It\u2019s a departure from the original style of Marathon, which some didn\u2019t like, but the more we\u2019ve seen from it, the better it\u2019s getting. <\/p>\n The worst phase, of course, was the combination of the badly unfinished alpha visuals and the immediately-following plagiarism scandal<\/a>. That was inexcusable, but it was decals on the map, and should not have been extrapolated to \u201cthey stole the entire art style of the game,\u201d which it was by many. <\/p>\n Now, after a delay, Marathon has restarted its marketing campaign ahead of its newly announced March 5 release, and man, it\u2019s going well so far.<\/p>\n Some of these trailers have created little story snippets that are intriguing at worst and terrifying at best:<\/p>\n Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s an introduction to some of the factions. Here\u2019s the Arachne, the \u201ccult of death\u201d:<\/p>\n Now, Marathon has started introducing little character shorts and the first one, focused on the Destroyer shell, is just awesome:<\/p>\n One question is how well all this translates into the game itself. Bungie has leaned on the idea that this is a PvP extraction shooter that will have a good amount of story attached to it. It actually ended up promoting a former top narrative director, Julia Nardin, to be creative director of the entire game. It has assembled a truly insane voice cast ranging from the actors who played Arthur Morgan in Red Dead to Maelle in Expedition 33. Plus dozens more. <\/p>\n The aesthetic also has to work in moment-to-moment gameplay. We have seen the previously flat outdoor spaces transformed with new updates, and the interiors have always been pretty cool. But I still see critics saying that they view this all as a \u201cRoblox\u201d art style. I disagree, but this is a big design swing and I can understand how it might not be for everyone.<\/p>\n I have gone on the record saying I don\u2019t think Marathon is going to work long term, but I would love nothing more than to have that thrown in my face if I was wrong. Aura cannot make a game successful, but a terrible aesthetic can drag it down like an anchor. And I don\u2019t think Marathon has that problem. <\/p>\n Follow me on Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series<\/a> and The Earthborn Trilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n