In a strange twist of fate, it’s as if the stars have aligned for Marathon most weirdly. Just as the game's Closed Beta NDA was lifted, a bizarre glitch on Xbox consoles allowed certain users to access the game's tutorial a day before its official launch. And one guy is already streaming it on Twitch.
What was shown on stream is essentially what players can expect from Marathon. It’s a first-person extraction shooter, but the player featured was running solo. He was seen exploring the game’s first map, Dire Marsh, checking out the locale and gathering loot before the timer hit zero.
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+ 2Most of the time, he’s seen running around the map and hunting AI enemies in PvE, which are surprisingly tough. He tried all the Runners and also explored other parts of the UI, like loadouts and Contracts. There wasn’t much content shown, since he was playing solo, but he did make a brief visit to the second map, Perimeter, for some reconnaissance.
On Perimeter, the weather is dynamic—temperature effects can directly impact your movement abilities.
Movement, by the way, looks great in Marathon. It’s a noticeable step up from Destiny 2. But Runners aren’t Guardians, so movement is more grounded. You’ll need to vault over walls and climb ladders like a regular person. Glitch appears to be the only one with mobility close to Destiny 2's Hunter; the rest move more like ordinary humans.
click to enlarge+ 2Twitch chat seemed convinced that the player had no idea they were playing the game 24 hours early, at least not until the upcoming Closed Beta, available from April 23 to May 4.
The chat was also impressed with the game’s movement and visuals, as well as the gunplay, which looks smoother and more impactful than in Destiny 2. There's a certain oomph when pulling the trigger now; it feels heavier, more deliberate compared to our Guardians.
The stream went live for about an hour and a half, until Marathon’s server maintenance was announced, signalling the stream's imminent end. Before the Stream was cut off, he decided to show off the game's other UI, including what's inside the Factions tab.
All in all, this feels like a strange case of oversight—or maybe just a glitch on Xbox’s part. Ironically, Marathon, being a Sony product, seeing it pop up on Xbox like this is a bold, unexpected twist.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Gaming News and Marathon page.