Bungie’s New Game, Marathon, Has to Avoid Destiny 2’s Biggest Problem

by

Bungie has a remarkable talent for crafting immersive and mysterious game worlds. They’ve consistently created universes that feel real and connected, as seen in the epic battles of Halo and the vast story of Destiny. Their next game, Marathon, aims to continue this tradition. It’s a fresh take on the beloved 90s classic, now designed as a modern, online extraction shooter, and hopes to achieve the same exciting gameplay as Arc Raiders.

Simply being exciting isn’t enough for a game to succeed these days. Marathon is launching into a world where popular games constantly evolve with updates, seasonal content, and high player expectations. Bungie, the studio behind it, needs to learn from the complex history of Destiny 2 and avoid turning off the players they’re trying to attract. Destiny 2, despite its strengths, often created barriers to entry, and Marathon can’t make the same mistake of excluding players.

Destiny 2’s Biggest Flaw Isn’t Its Grind, It’s Its Gatekeeping

As a longtime fan, I’ve always loved Destiny 2 – when it’s at its best, it really shines. The shooting feels amazing, the game looks gorgeous, and the story is seriously deep. But honestly, it’s become so hard to get into. Trying to start playing now feels like jumping into the middle of a show you haven’t seen for years without any explanation! So much of the older story content has been removed, and important plot points are only explained in videos online. You’re instantly hit with a ton of confusing currencies, vendors you don’t understand, and just way too many complicated systems. It’s totally overwhelming for anyone new, and it’s a shame because the core game is fantastic.

I really enjoyed playing Destiny 2 when it first came out – it was one of the most fun shooting games I’d ever played. But I stopped playing for a while, letting my friends continue without me as I tried other games. After a few years, I wanted to rejoin them, but I was completely lost. I had no idea what was going on or how any of the game’s features worked. That quickly killed my excitement, and I just couldn’t bring myself to try and figure it all out.

The game has a lot of potential, but it’s hidden beneath a frustrating amount of complexity. Many players, including myself, don’t have the time or energy to learn all the new systems and piece together the story just to enjoy the game, especially when there are so many other options available. The developers are clearly talented at building immersive worlds and engaging gameplay, but Destiny 2 proved that overcomplicating things can actually alienate players. With games that are constantly updated, each new addition can make it even harder for newcomers to jump in and start playing.

Marathon Can’t Afford to Repeat That Mistake

Bungie is taking a risk with Marathon because of its history. The original Marathon trilogy from the mid-1990s was a major success for the studio – a complex sci-fi shooter with a rich story and deep world-building. It explored themes of artificial intelligence, lost civilizations, and questions about existence, building a dedicated fanbase even before Halo came out.

Now that Bungie is reviving this universe, they face a real challenge. They’re drastically changing the game type from a story-driven adventure to an extraction shooter, all while building on the story from three previous games. Plus, it’s a live-service game, meaning it needs to constantly grow and stay interesting. Finding the right balance is key – not enough new content and players will get bored, but too much and they’ll feel overwhelmed. The problem with Destiny 2 wasn’t that it lacked content, but that it gave players too much without explaining it well or helping them get started.

Bungie needs to make sure the new Marathon game is welcoming to everyone. Players, whether longtime fans or newcomers, should quickly grasp the basics and feel immediately immersed. If a player feels like they have to study to understand the game, it won’t succeed. As a fan of Bungie’s work, I’m hoping Marathon captures the sense of wonder and discovery found in their older titles. I remember launching Halo: Combat Evolved and instantly knowing what I needed to do – survive on a strange, alien world. That feeling of immediate purpose is what Marathon needs to recreate.

Balancing Depth and Lore With Approachability

Bungie is known for creating incredibly rich and detailed stories, but this can also be a problem. They build worlds with so much history and background that fans dedicate themselves to documenting every detail. The story of Destiny is vast, filled with gods, conflicts, and entire civilizations. However, that depth can be overwhelming, making it hard for players to connect with the narrative. It’s often so complex that I find myself focusing more on understanding the story than on other issues with the game.

The upcoming Marathon game will likely have a rich and detailed history. It’s uncertain how much of this will connect to the events of the original games, but the key will be presenting it in a way that’s engaging for players without forcing them to do a lot of research. Clever use of the game’s environment, ongoing events within the world, and easily-found information sources can create a compelling atmosphere without overwhelming players with complicated backstory details.

The game’s systems and how you improve are similar – Bungie clearly likes things to be intricate, and that’s not necessarily a problem. Complex systems can be rewarding for dedicated players, but they need to be explained and unlocked over time, not all at once. A good tutorial, a user interface that’s easy to understand, and clear objectives are all crucial for a positive experience.

If Bungie makes Marathon easy to pick up and play, it could successfully blend the complexity of classic games with modern convenience. Players shouldn’t feel lost or overwhelmed by past lore; instead, the game should encourage them to discover it. Considering the recent discussions around Marathon, its success is crucial for Bungie’s future in gaming, and that means both keeping current players engaged and attracting new ones.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Read More

2025-11-16 17:14