Marathon’s revival as an extraction shooter is certainly a big departure from the original trilogy, which Bungie showed off recently in a big reveal event. Fans were given a few snapshots of Bungie’s new take on the franchise, but it was the short cinematic directed by Alberto Mielgo encapsulating its major themes that really captured people’s attention.
The nearly nine-minute cinematic gives a glimpse ofMarathon’s new direction in its bold and saturated color palette. While the pacing may be confusing at first, there is a lot to unpack from the film, and importantly, the poem “Ozymandias,” read by Ben Starr. Bungie has proven to be a master at weaving intricate stories into its live service, and the film and poem have already revealed the first pieces of the puzzle toMarathon’s intriguing new direction.
Marathon’s Cinematic Short and Ozymandias Poem Could Hide the Game’s Major Themes
Marathon’s cinematic reveal trailerportrayed the stark brutality of the game’s new setting. Disaster has struck many times in many ways, and the Runners are there to pick over the scraps of the blighted planet Tau Ceti IV. There is no background given as to what happened or why, but the vivid demise of the planet’s many inhabitants shows that something very strange and unexpected has happened here.
Picking up the pieces of the past, sorting what is and is not junk,Marathon’s Runnerscarelessly loot weapons and items from the long-forgotten sites for shreds of profit. While they remain broadly disinterested, some, such as Void, display a deep yearning for the old world’s most personal relics. Some treasures are worth more than gold if they can speak to the heart.
How Ozymandias Directly Relates to Marathon’s Themes
One thing that was unavoidable when watching the cinematic was Ben Starr’s captivating narration. But the words were not written for the cinematic. Published by Percy Shelley in 1818, a thousand years beforethe events ofMarathon, “Ozymandias” is a short poem describing the broken remains of a statue of Rameses II of Egypt, contrasting its imperious, regal nature with the sad state it lies in.
Marathon’s world of Tau Ceti IVis almost literally shattered and broken, with the fragmented moon hanging low in the sky, and the sandy vistas from the film echoing the last lines of the poem. It is a setting whose original inhabitants are long forgotten, their deeds and lives nothing but set dressing for disposable synthetic bodies to use as a battleground.
But it isn’t just the literal similarity with the sand, it is how it compares to Ozymandias’ hubris that his works would survive that relates most directly toMarathon. In this regard, “Ozymandias” can be applied to the Runners competing for the win. Anextraction shooter likeMarathonis about being the best, and escaping with better loot, and there is little more prideful than beating the competition at their own game. But every triumph will one day be nothing. While now a Runner may be “king of kings," there will come a time when their achievements are dust on the wind.
Legacy, therefore, seems very important inMarathon, which is appropriate for an extraction game. There is a level of competition that is encouraged, and many players are drawn to watching the best of the best display their skill. But there is also this underlying futility to everything, as one day it will be for naught. Ironically, this mirrors the game’s hard reset of player inventories in a very appropriate way. All loot will be wiped at the end of a season, the great equalizer putting everyone back on the same footing.
The Music Chip Reflects the Downtime Between Marathon’s Gunfights
It seems from the film that just like many players,Marathon’s Runners enjoy a quiet moment to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of their world.Void, voiced by Elias Toufexis, shows a deep fascination with a pink chip that plays a haunting piano melody, and it is his love of the tune that keeps him from killing Glitch.
Marathonwill be an experience of extremes. The unpredictable nature of a map full of dispersed players means that a person could be fighting for their life the entire match, or scavenging in eerie silence for most of it. Many shooters often have a strange, uncanny lull between fights. Anyone who has playedBattlefieldor Battle Royaleswill know. Sometimes, a quiet, reflective moment where there is nothing to do but soak up the atmosphere is unexpectedly calming.
Bungie is not a stranger to this kind of quiet, meditative phenomenon. One of the most highly regarded tracks fromDestiny’s huge library is Deep Stone Lullaby, the song that plays during a short platforming section in theDeep Stone Crypt raid. When the lonely melody comes in off the back of defeating Atraks-1, players are immersed in the quiet of space while the echoing tune follows them down the mostly uneventful path. Plenty of fireteams have been known to mute their mics in this section so they can enjoy the brief reprieve of the music in solace.
There Is a Deeper Mystery Hidden Within Marathon’s Cinematic
There are plenty more small, unanswered questions about the short film, and so far, there are no clear answers, but that was the whole point of such an enigmatic film.Marathonis setting itself up to be a game that can be engaged with on many levels, whether that’s just to come by and play a few matches to loot some better gear, or because a player wants to piece together fragments of a fractured world into a larger picture. The mystery heightens this need to speculate, andBungie are masters at leaving breadcrumbs for the communityto follow.
There may be more to learn aboutMarathon’s world soon. TheMarathonalpha runs from April 23 to May 4, and it may contain some more information about both gameplay and lore. There is still a lot to be learned about factions, and the black market, as well as what makes the ruins of Tau Ceti IV worth fighting over. There is something special about this colossal wreck, and it may take the pride of many Runners, and many more deaths, to find out what.
