Marathon’s Visual Overhaul Has Some Fans Shocked At How Good It Looks While Others Think It’s Lost Its Soul

Bungie’s Marathon was recently re-revealed ahead of a March 2026 release window and in addition to a number of new gameplay changes, the extraction shooter also looks surprisingly different from how it did during its 2025 alpha test. Whether that visual overhaul is good or not depends on who you ask. The glow-up has some fans more hyped than ever for the next multiplayer shooter from the makers of Halo and Destiny , but not everyone’s on board. While the studio recently released new gameplay footage as part of a recent vidoc previewing the work that’s gone into the game since it was originally delayed, there have also been leaks of recent closed beta tests going around . Instead of shying away from how the game has visually evolved over the last six months, Bungie went ahead and released a brief before-and-after sizzle reel showing off the differences. The most notable shift is in the overall lighting, which is now much warmer with more dramatic shadows: BEFORE // AFTER pic.twitter.com/YdthsI78nm - Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) December 24, 2025 At first glance, it seems like there’s basically been another additional layer or two of visual depth and detail added to the visual presentation of each scene. It looks like the extra level of polish that you’d expect a game’s visuals to receive when going from alpha to the finished release, and which Bungie had already hinted at back when the game’s original open alpha test was taking place. The footage from those sessions was always a work-in-progress and supposed to be taken as such. The emphasis was more on having players react to the overall concept and moment-to-moment gameplay, all of which has been tweaked since its initially negative reception. “Genuine question how did this change in only a few months this is gorgeous,” wrote Destiny streamer Protheon in response. “Yeah, that’s the stuff. Right into my veins please,” shared Skarrow9, another Destiny content creator. Prospective players were also impressed. “Like, come on, dude. This shit looks so good. We STILL got people who thought the alpha was gonna be the final product, too. I can’t fucking wait,” wrote X user EndlessGL. Not everyone’s on board, however. One of the major selling points of Marathon is its “ Graphic Realism ” art style that makes it look a bit like an early 2000s Nike ad by way of Ghost in the Shell . A lot of the the original Marathon alpha footage looked a bit hazy and unfinished, but it was also enveloped in some more striking color palette contrasts; hyper-saturated pinks and neon yellows pop among the cold steely blues and latex blacks. Went from kinda unique looking to "Focus M, Bowser's castle is just up ahead" https://t.co/0SqZpOCfgB - SSSS.ayah (@SayaDoesStuff) December 25, 2025 The shift to more conventional, warmer lighting has some dunking on the new Marathon look as a generic fan reshade mod. “They replaced the cool minimalist environment art and deliberate use of color with generic ue5 rtx shadows...

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