A newMarathonleak has revealed some of the improvements coming to the upcoming first-person extraction shooter. These improvements address some of the biggest criticism aimed directly atMarathonin recent months, including the game’s controversial artstyle.
After it was discovered thatMarathonfeatured plagiarized art, Bungie announced thatMarathonwas indefinitely delayedfrom its original September 23 release date. Before the announcement, there were signs that a delay was coming, as reports suggested that marketing campaigns forMarathonwere shuttered. AlthoughMarathonwas not canceled, it’s unclear exactly when the game will be released. There’s a possibility thatMarathonwill still launch in 2025, but the delay could also possibly extend to 2026 if the developers intend on reworking major aspects of the game. An update onMarathonis expected this fall, but a recent leak has revealed some insight into what can be expected when the game inevitably launches.
In Twitter posts that have since been deleted, Bungie leakerrocksizashared aMarathonleak with screenshots and information about the game’s most notable improvements. As reported byPaul Tassi at Forbes, theMarathonleak shows a series of outdoor screenshots with more density and better lighting compared totheMarathonalpha test builds. There were large visual improvements toMarathonthat were made not long after the last alpha test, and one screenshot appeared to show blue blood pooling in water after a player’s death. Moreover, the screenshots showed that there appear to be enemy corpses left on the map after death, so Bungie may have addressed criticism from players about bodies simply disappearing after kills.
Marathon Leak Reveals Major Visual and Gameplay Improvements Following the Game’s Delay Announcement
In the leak,Marathon’sBlack Market had a new materials exchange where players could trade higher-tier materials for lower-tier ones, and there were also new icons. An additional UI change includes a more clear and legible map legend, so players should have an easier time looking out for anomalies and bosses. There also appears to be a new sniper rifle known as the “V99 Channel Rifle,” which takes volt cell ammo and handles similarly tosniper rifles fromTeam Fortress 2.
Further, theMarathonleak showed the new Medic Runner has the ability to give players a healing drone that follows them and restores their health over time. The Medic Runner is said to play like Apex Legend’s Lifeline, as they can also drop medkits. Resurrection times are a lot longer, according to the leak, but it should be noted that a lot can change overthe course ofMarathon’sdevelopment, as it doesn’t have a release date at the moment.
