Yes, the headline reads correctly; no, it isn’t clickbait. Currently, you can go ahead and play three classic FPS by Bungie. While the developer is well-known for making memorable games like Halo and Destiny, they also worked on a first-person shooter series that was pretty much niche to this date.
I am talking about Marathon, a series that launched exclusively for Macintosh in 1993 and pioneered many things for its time. We are talking fleshed-out lore for FPS, a coherent storyline, and beautiful visuals for its time. And no, it currently doesn’t correlate to the upcoming extraction shooter by Bungie under the same name.
After the source code went public in 1999, fans worked to create an enhanced version of the game called Aleph One. And now, after years of development and nurturing, all three Aleph One versions of Marathon are available on Steam for PC. So, what should you know, and what should you do once you download it? Let’s explore!
What is Classic Marathon about?
Marathon, also known as Classic Marathon, was a science-fiction first-person shooter taking place in the year 2794. You take the role of a security officer on board the UESC Marathon, an Earth colony ship under attack from an alien life-form.
It eventually devolves into you working with the ship’s AI to take out the alien invaders and rescue the ship. Marathon has a lot of similarities to future works of Bungi. It also paves the foundation for storylines in first-person shooters, when Doom dominated the space.
Classic Marathon would later spawn two sequels: Marathon 2 Durandal and Marathon Infinite. Both the games further expand upon the stories of the first game and even broaden the universe! For a game of its time, Marathon is unique and a great sci-fi media that more people should read about.
While checking through the free-to-play section, I notice all three Marathon games waiting for a download. I have a habit of scurrying through the free section of Steam on my Steam Deck out of boredom now and then. It is also a great recreational activity when I don’t want to sift through my 900+ game library.
The Steam version is the Aleph One version, which means it comes with many enhancements under preference to make your life easier. Here are some I used to make my life easier, and you should too
- Under player, turn on “Show Crosshairs.”
- Under Graphics, turn on “Screen Size — Auto,” lock framerate to 60, make FOV 100, show the HUD, and use Enhanced HUD under the HUD plugin.
- Under rendering options, turn on fog, color effects, and turn off 3D models.
After a quick playthrough on my Steam Deck made me realize how beautiful the older FPS are. Marathon felt like playing Doom but with much more visual flare and finer gameplay. While it took some time to get used to it, Classic Marathon feels perfect to play on Steam Deck with a controller.
So, if you want to play something different and don’t have the money to buy new games, get yourself the three Marathon games. They are free, and they will give you a lasting sci-fi experience you’ll appreciate.
