As is usually the case with any remotely controversial game, Marathon is falling victim to review bombing. While Bungie’s new extraction shooter certainly has some fans due to its challenging-but-rewarding gameplay, unique art style, and deep lore, Marathon clearly has plenty of haters as well.
In the lead-up to Marathon’s release, there was plenty of concern that the game would end up like Concord or, more recently, the failed live-service title Highguard. Some were worried about whether another extraction shooter could thrive in a scene ARC Raiders has been dominating, others wrote the game off due to Marathon’s art theft controversy, and there was worry that Marathon could be punished for being part of Sony’s unpopular live-service push. While these could all be factors in the review bombing the game is currently receiving, they aren’t the primary reasons being listed by those leaving unfair scores on the game’s Metacritic page.
Marathon vs. ARC Raiders on Steam Player Count
Marathon is now here to bring ARC Raiders its first big competitor, and this is how each game’s Steam player count is shaping up.
Why is Marathon Being Review Bombed?
- Marathon is being described as “too sweaty.”
- Marathon’s performance is coming under fire.
- Marathon is being targeted by Destiny 2 fans who feel ignored.
- Marathon’s UI is still being criticized.
- Marathon’s microtransaction controversy.
- Marathon is being criticized because of Bungie wanting critic reviews delayed.
When looking at Marathon’s numerous negative user reviews, most of the complaints fall into one of the above categories (there are other criticisms, like the $40 price point instead of the game being free-to-play, but they’re few and far between). Of the critiques listed, the most common by far is that Marathon is overly punishing to casual players. The TTK is described as “horrible” because it’s so fast, duos feel outmatched since they regularly end up against a group of 3, and the UESC bots are criticized for coming out of nowhere and killing players very fast. While dedicated players love Marathon’s steep learning curve and difficulty, it seems like casuals are being scared off by hard-hitting AI and skilled Runners.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
This is hardly the only critique that keeps popping up in these 0/10 scores, though. While Bungie quickly responded to and addressed Marathon’s microtransaction issue, which saw the $10 pack of virtual currency giving players 20 LUX less than they needed for a new Shell skin, the game is still being punished for this early mistake. Additionally, though its 60 FPS performance will be enough for some, others find it too lacking due to the lack of a 120Hz mode, while the game’s UI continues to be bashed as unreadable (though Bungie is planning to overhaul it soon). Alongside these issues, not only can complaints about other live-service projects like The Last of Us Online being canceled while this game survived be seen, but a number of players can be seen arguing that Destiny should be Bungie’s focus instead. The Destiny community has felt neglected for some time now, so this isn’t exactly surprising to see.
…Marathon will likely have to carry a negative overall user score on its Metacritic page from now on.
Alongside all of these issues, Bungie’s recent request that critics wait to publish their reviews for the game until all the content has been dropped — a fourth map called Cryo and ranked mode are releasing later in March — has led to some feeling the need to review bomb. These gamers are arguing that, since Bungie published and charged for a game that it’s telling critics is “unfinished,” said reviewers should be scoring it in its current state, with the 0/10 scores meant to scare off potential buyers because of this supposed shadiness. Obviously, fans of the game are responding with 10/10 scores to try to balance out the review bombing, making the user review section as unreliable as ever. While legitimate issues like the UI do hold Marathon back from deserving a perfect score, the 0/10 scores are even more absurd, as some will even compliment aspects of the game like the environments, which should merit at least a few points.
While games like Overwatch have seen their Steam review scores go up a bit over time as issues players once had are addressed, the reality is that a majority of review bombers fail to remove or adjust their harsh posts. Even if many of the complaints are exaggerated, or end up being addressed, the reality is that Marathon will likely have to carry a negative overall user score on its Metacritic page from now on.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
