Marathon 2: Durandal

Marathon 2: Durandal is a science fiction first-person shooter involving spaceships, aliens, and artificial intelligence with messianic delusions. It was developed by Bungie and initially released on November 24, 1995.

The first sequel to the classic Marathon takes place primarily on the fictional planet of Lh’owon, home planet of the species known as S’pht, and once again the player assumes the role of a security officer on the Marathon ship.

Originally published by Bungie and available for Classic Mac OS, Pippin, Windows, Xbox 360, iOS, Mac, Marathon 2: Durandal was received averagely to positively by critics. It also had a direct sequel, Marathon Infinity (1996), and a free re-release in 2024, Classic Marathon 2.

Videos

This is the trailer of the original game.

There’s a review of Marathon 2.

Gameplay

Marathon 2: Durandal continues the narrative of the first game, where the artificial intelligence Durandal, after the defeat of the alien Pfhor, was released from his confinement. Seventeen years have passed since then, and Durandal has now formed an army composed of the colonists of Tau Ceti, including the Security Officer (the player controls). On its journey across the galaxy, Durandal discovers the homeworld of the S’pht, a slave race of the Pfhor, and frees them. The S’pht come to worship Durandal as their messiah, and he sets out on a quest to find a legendary lost tribe of S’pht, believing that this tribe may hold the secret to his enigmatic ultimate goal. However, Durandal’s presence incurs the wrath of the Pfhor, who begin to vehemently attack his forces.

In terms of engine, Marathon 2 features several improvements over its predecessor. The interface has been redesigned to provide a wider view, now taking up a larger portion of the screen, while the health and oxygen gauges have been moved to the bottom of the display, appearing horizontally instead of vertically on the left side. In addition, it replaces almost all of the graphics and sounds from the first game, now using ambient sounds such as wind and alarms instead of background music to accompany the action, creating a more immersive auditory experience. Unlike its predecessor’s setting, which takes place on the UESC Marathon ship, Marathon 2 takes place mostly outdoors and in the open air. The levels are larger, more open, well-lit, dynamic and full of fast-paced action.

The game adds a variety of new gameplay mechanics. There is a basic inventory system, multiple firing modes for each weapon, allies that assist the player in combat, enemy factions that fight each other, and a deeper narrative, unfolding through computer terminals scattered throughout the levels. These terminals function similarly to System Shock‘s emails, telling you bits of the story and offering instructions as you progress through a game. Unlike the first Marathon, accessing the terminals in Marathon 2 does not pause the game, leaving you vulnerable to attack while you are reading them.

Another important aspect is the introduction of environments with liquids, allowing players to enter and swim in different types of substances. There are four main types: water, sewage, lava, and a toxic substance from the Pfhor called “goo”, each type affecting the protagonist in unique ways: water and sewage only consume oxygen while submerged, while lava and goo reduce both the player’s oxygen and health. Swimming affects mobility, and it is possible to use the sprint button to rise to the surface. Only the fusion pistol can be fired underwater, but with a side effect: the shot overloads, causing damage to the player. Each pool of liquid has its own characteristics of flow, speed, viscosity, and even high and low tides, which, in some levels, the player can modify to open paths or access areas.

In addition to the existing weaponry, such as pistols and the battle rifle, Marathon 2 introduces a shotgun that can be used with both hands if the player finds a second unit (akimbo). Several weapons have been tweaked: pistols now hold eight bullets instead of seven, the Enforcers’ alien flamethrower has replaced the old machine gun, and it is now possible to use both fists to attack. Previously defenseless civilian enemies now carry pistols to defend themselves and, in some situations, can even attack the player if attacked. A system for teleporting items and enemies directly into the level has also been implemented, with certain enemies also being able to teleport out.

Terminals continue to be central to the plot and level progression, allowing interaction with different artificial intelligences, such as Durandal and Tycho. Thanks to a translator in the character’s suit, the player can also access the terminals of the S’pht and Pfhor races, which function like regular terminals. These terminals also have expanded capabilities and can modify the dynamics of levels, such as opening doors, changing the level of liquid tides, and even teleporting the protagonist to other areas.

Multiplayer

Marathon 2 significantly expands the original’s multiplayer options, introducing several new game modes in addition to the traditional deathmatch. Multiplayer can be played by up to eight players over a network, including real LANs or LAN emulation. The modes include:

• Every Man for Himself – A mode in which the player or team with the highest score wins. Killing others adds one point, while any type of death subtracts one point.
• Kill the Man with the Ball – Inspired by Halo‘s “Oddball” mode, this mode challenges players to hold a skull longer than anyone else. The player with the skull cannot run or use weapons, making him vulnerable to others. The skull’s position is indicated on the motion sensor so that other players can locate it and steal the item.
• King of the Hill – The winner is the player who can stay in a specific area of ​​the map (the “hill”) for the longest time. The location of the “hill” is indicated on the motion sensor.
• Tag – In this mode, whoever is tagged for the longest time loses. The first player to die becomes “the marked one” and only loses this status by eliminating another player, who becomes the new “marked one”.
• Team Play – A team version of the “Every Man for Himself” mode, where each player can see the perspective of the other team members by pressing [DEL]. This should be a team deathmatch.
• Cooperative – Allows players to progress through the campaign mode together, but progress cannot be saved.

Marathon 2 introduced all of the modes listed above except “Every Man for Himself” and “Team Play”, which were already in the first game. Two additional modes, “Keep away from Rob” and “Pile on Greg”, appear in the game types menu, but are disabled and unavailable.

Classic Marathon 2

Released on July 12, 2024, Classic Marathon 2 was released, an enhanced edition of Bungie’s first-person shooter. This version is free and maintains the original data files and offers improvements such as widescreen support, 3D filtering, positional audio and interpolation up to 60 fps. It is available for macOS and Windows on Steam, with the option to play on Linux through Luxtorpeda or Aleph One. The Steam version includes the free DLC XBLA Graphics Pack, which offers replacement textures from the XBLA version of Marathon: Durandal.

Download

Classic Marathon 2 is the version of this FPS that we have for download in this post. It is absolutely free to play and stuff.

Trailer

About the game

From the team that brought you Aleph One, the classic sci-fi FPS Marathon 2: Durandal from Bungie on Mac revived for modern hardware by the fan community.

Fresh from your triumph on the colony ship Marathon, you are seized by the rogue AI Durandal to do his bidding in a distant part of the galaxy. Within the ruins of an ancient civilization, you must seek the remnants of a lost clan and uncover their long-buried secrets. Battle opponents ancient and terrible, with sophisticated weapons and devious strategies, all the while struggling to escape the alien nightmare…

This classic 1995 Bungie FPS is now maintained by the fan community. Experience authentic game play using the original data files, with optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation, just in case the original is too authentic.

Classic Marathon 2 is powered by the Aleph One engine, which is available under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 3.

Story

Marathon 2 takes place seventeen years after the events of the first game. Durandal, one of the three AIs on the colony ship UESC Marathon, sends the player and an army of former colonists to search the ruins of Lh’owon, the homeworld of the S’pht. He doesn’t mention exactly what he’s looking for, though he does let slip that the Pfhor are planning to attack Earth and that being on Lh’owon could slow their advance.

Previous events

It all begins where the original Marathon left off. The UESC Marathon is in orbit around the fourth planet of Tau Ceti, where a colony is being formed, being run by three AIs: Leela, Durandal, and Tycho. Without warning, an alien ship appears and begins an attack on the colony and Marathon. This begins with a massive electromagnetic pulse; Tycho is destroyed, while Durandal goes “rampant”. This leaves Leela as the only remaining AI in control of the ship.

Leela contacts the player, an unnamed security officer, informing them that they are under electronic attack by alien cyborgs, but will do what she can to organize a defense. She sends the Officer on a series of missions to gain more control over the ship, delay the invading forces, and send a message to Earth informing them of the attack. During these missions, Leela informs the Officer that Durandal has made contact with the alien cyborgs known as the S’pht, who are a race enslaved by another alien race commanding the attack, the Pfhor.

Eventually, the AI ​​Leela succumbs to the S’pht’s attacks, and Durandal assumes full control. Durandal has convinced the S’pht to join him and fight the Pfhor, after directing the Security Officer to destroy a system on the Pfhor ship that allows him absolute control over the S’pht. With the help of the officer and the now-aligned S’pht, Durandal defeats the alien army aboard the Pfhor ship and disorganizes the Pfhor forces aboard the Marathon. He then reveals that Leela was not destroyed, but merely put into suspension. Durandal revives Leela to regain control of the Marathon, while he transfers to the alien ship and sets off to explore the galaxy. Leela and the Officer complete the defeat of the Pfhor forces on the Marathon.

Plot

The story begins when the Officer is awakened from stasis and informed that he was abducted moments before Durandal departed Tau Ceti space. Durandal has been searching for the S’pht homeworld of Lh’owon since first contact with the Pfhor seventeen years earlier. Using a combination of orbital bombardment from his Pfhor exploration vessel and ground assaults led by the Security Officer, Durandal quickly overwhelms the Pfhor garrison.

Durandal reveals that thousands of years ago, the S’pht were enslaved by the Pfhor after failing to stop a Pfhor invasion. Durandal also mentions that the Pfhor used what little they knew of him to resurrect Tycho, the AI ​​that was nearly destroyed during the Pfhor’s initial attacks on Marathon. Durandal teleports the Security Officer to the ancient citadel of antiquity, where the S’pht made their last stand against the Pfhor in the final hours of the invasion. It is here, Durandal claims, that the Security Officer will find some weapon or knowledge that can be used against the Pfhor, but this must be done urgently, as the largest battle group in the Pfhor fleet is on its way to Lh’owon, and Durandal’s exploration vessel, despite its modifications and improvements, will not be able to resist.

As the Security Officer advances on the citadel, Battle Group Seven of the Pfhor fleet arrives and confronts Durandal’s ship. The Officer is abruptly teleported away to help hold off the invasion teams while Durandal teleports all remaining human and S’pht crew to a fortress on the planet’s surface. The Security Officer is largely successful, but matters become complicated when Durandal informs the Security Officer that he is being personally targeted by Tycho.

Durandal, not wanting to “end up like Leela,” has the Officer destroy his logic centers to avoid capture by the Pfhor. After the security officer destroys Durandal, nothing stops him from being teleported away by the Pfhor, and he is captured by Tycho.

Tycho gloats about the brutal outcome of the invasion of Tau Ceti, in which all of the colonists and the crew of the Marathon were vaporized by a Pfhor fleet shortly after Durandal left. Tycho also confirms that it was Durandal who contacted the Pfhor and brought them to Tau Ceti seventeen years earlier. Durandal does not truly care about the freedom of the S’pht or the protection of humanity, and has learned that the S’pht were worshippers of the Jjaro, an ancient and powerful race of beings who had long since disappeared and possessed the ability to manipulate space. It was here that Durandal assumed he would learn a way to escape the end of the universe and become a god.

Several weeks later, the Officer is being held captive by the Pfhor, but a group of humans launch a surprise attack on the prison and free him. The Officer is then contacted by Robert Blake, the leader of the humans, who informs him that Durandal has been searching for an ancient S’pht AI known as Thoth and sends him to reactivate it. While the Officer does so, Blake and the remaining humans continue to lose their fight against the Pfhor. After being transported to the final activation site, the Officer loses contact with the remaining humans, but is successful in activating Thoth.

Thoth teleports the Officer to the former colonists’ stronghold and subsequently helps him clear a Pfhor ship to allow the remaining humans to return to Earth. With this accomplished, Thoth and the Officer activate an ancient communication matrix that contacts the S’pht’Kr, a clan of S’pht who left Lh’owon shortly before the Pfhor arrived. Over thousands of years, the S’pht’Kr have developed in isolation to an unprecedented level of technology. Enraged by the Pfhor’s enslavement of the S’pht, the S’pht’Kr destroy Battle Group Seven.

Durandal then makes a sudden appearance and celebrates his recent destruction of Tycho. Durandal faked his death to benefit Thoth, who is obsessed with balance and would not have contacted the S’pht’Kr if the humans did not seem so desperate. Durandal, Officer, and the S’pht’Kr quickly destroy all remaining Pfhor presence on Lh’owon.

Humiliated by their defeat, the Pfhor launch the Trih Xeem—a Jjaro “pre-supernova” device—into Lh’owon’s sun. Durandal informs the player that an imminent invasion of Earth has been permanently thwarted, and that the now-free S’pht have gathered all they could from Lh’owon and left the doomed system. Durandal then briefly contemplates the origin of an ancient S’pht legend that describes terrible beings on Lh’owon’s sun, imprisoned by the Jjaro eons ago, foreshadowing the events in Blood Tides of Lh’owon (the single-player scenario of Marathon Infinity).

The epilogue describes several events set much later: Robert Blake and his human companions are the only ones to survive the Tau Ceti incident, the Pfhor are defeated and their homeworld is subsequently plundered by humanity and the S’pht’Kr, and Durandal is not seen by humanity for ten thousand years, until he returns in a Jjaro dreadnought, with a brief statement, “to ensure that Earth does not forget him”.

Screenshots

Marathon mod for Doom

According to our partners, there are some Marathon-themed/inspired mods for the classic Doom. Marathon Forever is one of them, which is being played on the video down below (with other mods and using GZDoom):

The full list of the mods used in this gameplay, follows:

1. Doom 2 Redux;
2. Marathon Forever;
3. NashGore NEXT;
4. 2 Mashup Texture Packs (MixTP.pk3);
5. Doom Liquid Textures Pack;
6. SpawnProps;
7. Bloom Boost (Shader Tools);
8. Relighting Doom;
9. Critical Shots;
10. Gun Bonsai;
11. Universal Weapon Sway;
12. Tilt++;
13. Duke Nukem 3D Full Musics.

More info and FPS

• Classic Marathon 2 @ VaLeW Freebies – With more info about the free re-release of the game.
• Aleph One – Official site of the open source engine that supports the Marathon trilogy, which also provides freeware games with support for Windows, Mac and Linux (the original was for Apple).
• Luxtorpeda @ GitHub – To play on Linux.
• Marathon 2: Durandal Manual @ Mod DB – Official game manual in .PDF format.
• Marathon 2: Durandal @ Gaming Room – Source, with more info and media. In Portuguese.
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