Bungie has released a new trailer for Marathon and many gamers are raving about one thing that the shooter does particularly well.
What kind of game is it? Marathon is an extraction shooter (PvPvE) in the first-person perspective, featuring elements of a hero shooter.
You are so-called runners. These are cybernetic mercenaries with different abilities. There’s an assassin who can become invisible, or a scout who should detect enemies with an echo pulse.
Before starting a round, you typically assemble a loadout and spawn on a map with NPC opponents and other players. Afterwards, you diligently collect loot and fulfill quests to improve your character.
At Sony’s State of Play on February 12, 2026, Bungie has now released a new trailer for Marathon, showcasing once again what many gamers really appreciate about the extraction shooter.
The style of Marathon captivates even skeptics
What do gamers love already? The art style. There are many comments on social media praising the stylistic direction of the game.
One user on Reddit writes: “The art style totally grabs me. This is peak.” Another replies, “It’s really incredible. Even if I should be absolutely terrible at this game, I’ll love the gunplay and the style.”
Even players who are already sure that Marathon won’t be for them as an extraction shooter appreciate the graphic style. In another post on Reddit, a user writes:
I find the visual design of the game extremely exciting, but based on my experiences with Arc Raiders, I can say for sure: Extraction shooters are not for me. I wish it were a pure PvE story game […] .
And even among Bungie skeptics, the style is well-received: “I absolutely love the graphic style and universe of Marathon. However, the fact that it will be an extraction shooter spoils everything for me. I no longer trust Bungie when it comes to live service.”
The comments show: Marathon is visually very appealing, and this is said by both gamers who are interested in the game and those who are pretty sure they won’t buy it.
The style works because it is different and special
Why is the art style of Marathon so popular? Marathon has a very unique graphic style. It is colorful, but not like Overwatch or Valorant.
Bungie’s shooter is also dark, high-contrast, and primarily builds a tense atmosphere in trailers, despite the diverse color palette. The studio plays with fog, storms, and beams of light breaking through the clouds.
There are sci-fi elements, but they differ significantly from franchises like Warhammer, Star Wars, or the in-house Destiny. However, the distinction is even greater compared to many modern shooters that aim for a realistic graphic style with Unreal Engine 5 and focus their color palette mainly on gray, brown, and leaf green.
If you want to play another shooter with a similarly successful graphic style before the release of Marathon, I can recommend Returnal. More about it here: I am currently playing a shooter that is so good I want to buy a PS5 for the studio’s new game
