Former FPS pro Shroud says Marathon is hard, and that people will eventually realize just how good it is after crossing that barrier.
Speaking on the Dropped Frames podcast, Shroud says “Marathon is good,” but that “the problem right now is it’s too hard.” He explains, “I think it’s just way too hard of a game, I think it’s a very sweaty game, ranked, Destiny raids, super painful when you die, you lose your whole inventory, unlike Arc Raiders.”
Shroud Talks Marathon – YouTube
He continues: “I think that’s a problem right now because obviously a game needs to grow and have a lot of players, and first impressions are everything.” However, Shroud adds, “I actually think it will end up being a positive later on,” and that as new content continues to get added to the game, “more people will realize, ‘wait this game is actually really, really good.” He also says the game needs a better onboarding process to help people get into it.
Obviously, Marathon is in a pretty weird spot as is. As an outsider, I’ve seen either unrelenting hate about the game, with constant citing of its playercount being lower than other games, and how “it’s the next Concord,” while on the other hand I’ve seen the Bungie sickos are really falling in love with its gameplay loop, and of course if there’s one thing Bungie never slacks on its good feeling guns.
I don’t necessarily think a high barrier of entry is a bad thing – especially as someone who plays a lot of fighting games – but Shroud is right, if you can’t onboard players well, then you’ll be stuck. Street Fighter 6 has some of the best training suites and alternate playstyle options available in any fighting game and it’s growing bigger and better constantly – hitting a new player peak almost three years after launch recently.
Hopefully, Marathon can figure things out on that front and allow people to see what the true sickos are seeing in it. And given that the latest update has made things a bit less punishing, maybe that’s on the horizon
