What is Marathon Infinity?

So in Marathon Infinity you are once again pressed into service first by Durandal — who seems as unbalanced and enigmatic as ever — and then by Tycho, who kidnaps you for his own purposes, which include, but may not be limited to, destroying Durandal. Your loyalty is a complex issue, and with Infinity’s (limited) branching gameplay, whom you believe and follow could affect where you end up and in what shape. It’s really the ambiguity and paranoia the scenario inculcates in you that makes all the running around, solving locked-door puzzles, and blasting things to bloody bits, more than just a Doom clone.

Though the game engine is basically unchanged from Marathon 2 (there’s now the ability to have distinct Physics Models for each level), Bungie has really put together a package that is more than just additional levels. It seems they took to heart criticisms of Marathon 2 that claimed it lacked the dark, “Alien”-like feel of the original; the new texture sets and map designs are totally success- ful in immersing you in the feel of making your way through strange corridors in spaceships, stations, and sewage pumping plants. In fact, the first level of Infinity feels from the start like an homage to “Arrival,” the first level of the original. And though there are only a few basic missions throughout the game (Exploration, Retrieval, Repair, Rescue, and of course Extermination), these are integrated so well into the plot that they rarely seem to repeat.

In a way, if you’ve played the previous Marathons, you’ll feel right at home in Marathon Infinity. The excellent gameplay is unchanged (no jumping or crouching, no new monsters except fusion-packing VacuumBOBs, and RUN!), and even your Preferences such as keyboard layout can be imported. On the other hand, some of what you thought you knew is wrong. Are you doing the right thing, helping Tycho attack Durandal, who, after all, is responsible for both your misery and your existence? Why do you have such a queasy feeling when you shoot BOBs (the Born on Board [Marathon] humans), though if you hesitate, one AI or another may just teleport you into space. And what’s up with the story about somebody walking on the street, finding a broadsword, and being chased by Men in Black? There’s more than enough to keep your brain turning over as you shoot, napalm, and pierce (with an all-new Flechette gun that’s terrifically accurate and works in the water or PfhorSlime, but goes through ammo way too quickly) your enemies and solve each level’s puzzles, which unfortunately seem to be mostly of the find-the-switch-then-the-door-it-opened kind. And this time, Bungie has added a few fatal traps here and there, so save frequently.

Maps from Marathon 2 can’t be used wholesale, but with a little ResEdit fiddling, everything will work.

In addition to the 25 levels that make up the solo adventure, Infinity also includes 24 network levels. If you’ve always been a solo player who dismisses these as “not part of the real game,” give a network game a try, once. That’s all it takes.

Turner, D.D. (December 1996). Marathon Infinity. MacAddict. (pgs. 84-85).

See also: Marathon, Marathon 2: Durandal

Download Marathon Infinity for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

System Requirements

From Mac OS 7.1 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

• MC68040 or PowerPC processor
• 6 MB RAM
• 8-bit color display
• 19 MB hard disk drive available (56 MB for full install)
• System 7.1 or later

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II