Being the latest project by the Bungie studio, Marathon is shaking up the extraction shooter market with a unique take on the genre. With a visual style that's certainly hard to miss, Marathon has already left a lasting impression from its initial reveal trailer and teaser material alone. While it's certainly not what I expect from a traditional extraction shooter, Marathon's tendency to stand apart from the crowd could help it to overcome the biggest weaknesses of the genre, even if its art style takes a bit of getting used to.

With Marathon's closed alpha test finally arriving for players lucky enough to gain access, Bungie has finally started to shine a spotlight on some of Marathon's more mysterious aspects. Even though the pre-alpha footage and gameplay trailer for Marathon have been met with a fair share of criticism so far, that hasn't stopped Marathon from showing off some interesting potential as a mix between both the battle royale and extraction shooter genres. While both styles of games have their own share of strengths and weaknesses, there's one aspect that is a surefire way to slow down gameplay if left unchecked.

Inventory Management Is The Most Painful Aspect Of The Genre

A System That Feels Forced At The Best Of Times

Inventory management is an essential aspect of many games, but it's often avoided in fast-paced first-person shooters for a reason, with extraction shooters like Marathon or even battle royales like Apex Legends being exceptions to the rule. Although Marathon has faced several less-than-favorable comparisons with games like Concord and its ultimate fate, the first game that comes to mind for the extraction shooter genre is most commonly Battle State Games' Escape From Tarkov​​​​​​, and all the flaws that come with it. Being the primary incentive of the genre, the loot systems are a vital aspect to their success.

While these systems work well for tense and more tactical games like Tarkov, they're not for the faint of heart.

Despite the core gameplay similarities of the genre, Marathon and Tarkov are worlds apart in their delivery, with the inventory system and in-game economy of the latter benefiting greatly from grittier realism and challenge. While these systems work well for tactical, tension-filled games like Tarkov, they're not for the faint of heart, and can still be tedious at the best of times, or a chore to learn at the worst. With how many games have taken inspiration from Tarkov over the years, many attempts to recreate Tarkov's inventory systems or in-game economy have failed to achieve the same heights.

On top of making for a less beginner-friendly experience, complicated loot systems with less intuitive design can slow down gameplay to a snail's pace, with you spending most of a match scavenging and avoiding any form of risky combat. Thankfully, Marathon already seems to be avoiding some of the mistakes from previous games with its lack of a PSN requirement, on top of gameplay that gives me hope for a fresh take on the genre.

There's Still Room For Tension-Filled Gameplay Without Complicated Loot Systems

Other Games Have Taken Unique Approaches To The Format

Even though scavenging for supplies and the concept of risk versus reward are core parts of the extraction shooter experience, that doesn't mean overly designed inventory systems are a necessity. The prime example of tense gameplay without these frustrating aspects is Crytek's Hunt Showdown, which relies on a drastically simplified inventory system compared to games like Tarkov​​​​​​. Rather than spending valuable time scrounging every piece of loot in a building, the overall goal in Hunt Showdown is to collect a single bounty payout and extract without dying.

A drastically simplified inventory system compared to games like Tarkov.

This isn't to say that Hunt Showdown doesn't offer other forms of inventory management with a wide array of weapons, supplies, and other gear to equip or scavenge in a level. But it focuses more on the actual gameplay rather than sorting through menus. While this is somewhat of a more extreme example in the opposite direction, Hunt Showdown is still one of the most popular entries in the genre by far.

It benefits greatly from its enhanced immersion and straightforward gameplay design. Focusing on the bounties and the gear you bring into a level, Hunt Showdown can be just as tense and rewarding as a game like Tarkov.

Bungie's Marathon Could Fill The Gap Between Popular Extraction Shooters

Offering A Balance Between Casual And Competitive Play

Rather than taking inspiration from Escape From Tarkov or Hunt Showdown directly, the Marathon seems to be taking a more balanced approach to its extraction-based game design. Rather than completely removing the loot system or choosing to over-complicate it, Marathon seems to have a much simpler loot table with clearly defined labels and categories. Based on the pre-alpha footage, another way Marathon achieves a middle ground is by clearly displaying the value of each item, allowing you to focus on the gameplay rather than which color vase you need to bring to the extraction point, similar to Delta Force.

Even if the extraction shooter genre is a relatively untapped market with few dominant players, the sheer amount of competition in the first-person shooter genre makes an experimental game like Marathon somewhat of a tough sell. By streamlining these experiences without completely removing the tension-filled gameplay they provide, I'm looking forward to seeing how Marathon will approach these concepts as it gets closer to release. Rather than trying to replicate the success of other games, Marathon would greatly benefit from leaning into its greatest strengths, both with its incredibly unique art style and offering simplified, yet still rewarding loot mechanics.