- Sony’s Bungie studio revealed a new Marathon progress comparison with its initial alpha version.
- The game has come a long way visually, with improved lighting and shadows, but many argue it has lost its unique aesthetic.
- Therefore, many gamers are unhappy with the new visual direction of Marathon instead.
Bungie recently revealed just how far Marathon has come since its alpha, in a before-and-after comparison. The footage shows new striking visuals with improved lighting and shadows, but fans argue that all that glitter comes at the cost of a generic art style.
Why it matters: Marathon’s new art direction makes it look quite gorgeous with better lighting and shadows. However, the game may have entirely lost its unique art style in the process, which has upset many fans.
In the Twitter post comparing the two, many skeptical Marathon fans gathered to discuss the game’s improved visuals. While the extraction shooter indeed looks better, fans argue that the art style now looks more generic and resembles other games in the genre.
Bungie may have altered the unique visual art style to remove all elements of plagiarized art from the alpha version. The art controversy was resolved a few weeks ago after Bungie settled with the affected artist.
Regardless, the loss of alpha color grading has led many fans to give up on Marathon entirely, while the rest of the community is now more excited to play the game.

Some are hopeful that Bungie takes note of the feedback and retouches the visuals to bring back more of the game’s unique colors from the alpha. However, that might be unlikely unless we get yet another delay. The game is set to launch in 2026 with a $40 price tag.
Do you think Marathon looks worse, or more generic, despite the noticeable visual improvements since its alpha version? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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