Following the launch of Bungie’s classic shooter, Marathon, on modern platforms, the team behind the project, Aleph One Developers, has released Classic Marathon 2 for free on Steam. The game is compatible with both Windows and MacOS, providing a great opportunity for fans to explore the series ahead of Bungie’s return to it.
For those unfamiliar, the Marathon series was created by Bungie in the 90s for Apple computers. Bungie released the source code of the Marathon 2 engine in 1999 and made the game assets freeware in 2005. Now, all three games are available through Aleph One, the open-source continuation of Bungie's Marathon.
The trailer and images on the Steam page show the game resembling Doom 1993 but with several improvements made by the developer community. While it uses the original data files, it now supports 60 FPS, positional audio, and 3D filtering/perspective enhancements.
Aleph One Developers noted that these improvements were made in case the “original is too authentic” for modern players. Some elements might indeed feel overly retro to those who didn’t grow up with such games or are accustomed to more modern graphics.
Classic Marathon was released on May 10, 2024, and Classic Marathon 2 followed on July 12, 2024. Therefore, we can anticipate Classic Marathon Infinity to be released in the coming months. In 2023, Bungie announced they were working on a new Marathon game, a competitive PvP shooter with extraction mechanics. However, in March 2024, it was revealed that Bungie had changed the director of Marathon development and postponed the project’s release until at least 2025.
Classic Marathon 2 is available on Steam right now, and you can play it for free here. You can also download the Xbox Live Arcade graphics pack for free, giving you an additional option for how you want to experience the game. And as always, remember to utilise our comparison tool to secure the finest deal on your upcoming favourite game.
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