Not often do I watch a trailer for a online game greater than as soon as. But with Bungie’s Marathon reboot/sequel/no matter, I’ve discovered myself looping its slick and trendy announcement trailer. It’s not simply because the trailer slaps, however as a result of Bungie is teasing seems to be to be one of many coolest shooters launched in years.
On March 24, shortly earlier than a Spider-Man 2 trailer would set off a complete new “puddlegate,” Bungie (Halo, Future) revealed its subsequent massive first-person shooter: Marathon. If that identify sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of that is truly Bungie returning to certainly one of its oldest franchises, the Mac-only shooter trilogy, Marathon. You’ll be able to learn extra about these previous video games, their beloved lore, and the way it connects to Halo and trendy extraction shooters in this piece from our very personal Claire Jackson.
Nonetheless, I’m not right here to speak about Marathon’s lore, historical past, fandom, or something involving the Bungie mythos. No, as an alternative, I need to simply gush for just a few paragraphs about how rattling refreshing and superior this recreation’s look and announcement trailer are in comparison with most different shooters and video games on the market right now. And I don’t appear to be alone in loving this trailer because it has hit 18 million views on YouTube already.
Marathon has among the best recreation trailers of 2023
From the second the trailer’s intense digital music kicks in firstly, I used to be engaged. Then we see somebody in a rad-looking sci-fi-fi outfit working via a tunnel, all whereas photographs of vibrant-colored robotic bugs create intricate android-like beings. What’s taking place right here? I don’t know, however did you simply hear that sick bit within the music?
Anyway, the working character breaks out of the darker tunnels and enters an extremely vivid world the place we see that also they are rocking vibrant colours, together with a vivid, neon-pink helmet. The music builds because the digicam zooms in nearer and nearer to the runner. Issues really feel tense because the music builds right into a digital mess after which BAM! That’s all she wrote for this runner as they’re sniped from afar by a slick-looking and white-as-paper android. Our runner, now useless, is seen collapsing in gradual movement into what seems to be a milk-like substance, their blue-inky blood mixing and swirling into the water round their corpse. Because the robotic sniper rips out one thing from the useless runner the music builds once more, glitches out, and BAM! Bungie reveals that this vibrant trailer was for a brand new Marathon.
“Vibrant” is absolutely the key phrase right here. The whole lot on this trailer pops in a method that I’ve not seen in most different shooters launched in recent times. Lots of trendy shooters appear centered on realism, which may look beautiful, but additionally a bit drab. The favored shade scheme we sometimes see on shooters additionally begins to make shooters like Name of Obligation and Battlefield mix collectively. Or all of them look a bit an excessive amount of like Fortnite, which whereas colourful, isn’t visually distinct anymore. I take pleasure in a variety of these trendy shooters regardless. However with Marathon, issues are totally different.
Truly, it’s past colourful. It’s nearly garish with all of its pinks, yellows, greens, and blues clashing in almost each body. But it’s all balanced by hyper-realistic lighting, supplies, textures, and fashions. The colour palettes are unimaginable to have a look at and some of us at Kotaku couldn’t cease gawking on the trailer.
Marathon’s new artwork type is contemporary and daring
Bungie calls Marathon’s artwork type “graphic realism,” as talked about in a current behind-the-scenes video concerning the rebooted shooter. Bungie dev Emily Katske additional elaborates on the sport’s artwork, saying it’s “daring, colourful [and] stylized.”
The sport’s director, Christopher Barret, in the identical video, additionally says that the group wished the artwork to be “lovely” and “vibrant”, “mysterious” and “acquainted,” “but additionally, unusual.”
Usually, I’d roll my eyes a bit at this type of discuss, however after seeing the trailer and idea artwork of this new tackle Marathon, yeah, I get it. Stability is vital, although. Bungie has to fastidiously steadiness when and the place to “dial [things] as much as 11” and when to drag again a bit so of us don’t get overwhelmed whereas making an attempt to play.
It’s a dangerous choice, taking a beloved franchise and transforming it into one thing daring. It’s additionally fairly a departure from the unique Marathon video games, which featured extra subdued or dirty textures and Doom-like sprites. I’ve already noticed some longtime Marathon followers upset about this new, extra colourful, and stylized course. And till we truly play the ultimate recreation, we received’t know if any of this may truly work out. Was this a giant, costly mistake? Or an enormous gamble that lands completely? No concept!
However Marathon’s trailer, idea artwork, and total type has me extra excited than I anticipated to play this upcoming extraction shooter. I’m not even a fan of that style of on-line FPS, however I need to see extra of Marathon so badly that I’ll give it a shot. So long as I can waddle round Bungie’s new incredible-looking world for a couple of minutes earlier than getting killed, I’ll be joyful to play and discover Marathon every time it comes out.
