Marathon (series)
Macintosh game series by Bungie
Marathon is a science fiction first-person shooter video game series from Bungie, originally released for the Classic Mac OS. The name of the series is derived from the giant interstellar colony ship that provides the main setting for the first game; the ship is constructed out of the Martian moon Deimos. The series is often regarded as a spiritual predecessor of Bungie's Halo series.
Games
The Marathon series consists of four games:
Marathon, released on December 21, 1994 for the Classic Mac OS.
Marathon 2: Durandal, released on November 24, 1995 on Classic Mac OS.
Marathon Infinity, released on October 15, 1996 on Classic Mac OS.
Marathon, released on March 5, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.
Marathon 2: Durandal was released for Windows several months after the Mac OS release, on September 20, 1996. All three games were later ported to other operating systems and to modern versions of Windows and macOS after the game engine was open-sourced in 1999.
Gameplay
In the Marathon series, players can navigate futuristic environments in a first-person perspective. These environments are populated by hostile alien life forms or other players in multiplayer. Taking the role of a security officer equipped with energy shields, the player makes use of various firearms in an attempt to kill their opponents while trying to avoid getting hit by enemies' attacks.
There are two basic resources that the player must conserve to prevent death: shield strength, which decreases when the player takes damage, and oxygen reserve, which slowly depletes in airless levels and submerged areas. Wall panels located throughout the levels can be used to recharge shields or oxygen. Another type of wall panel called a "pattern buffer" is used for saving your progress.
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