The renowned franchise developed by Bungie has made a triumphant return, now accessible to all at no cost. The Aleph One team, with Bungie's backing throughout their endeavor, has successfully revived the Marathon trilogy of first-person shooter games that precede Halo, making them relevant for contemporary players.
The latest achievement is the completion of Marathon Infinity, which is now available to play under the title Classic Marathon Infinity. With this addition, all three installments in the series can be enjoyed for free on Steam.
Aleph One derives its name from the open-source engine that was utilized to develop the source code for Marathon 2. This engine was created by the community and was publicly released by Bungie before Microsoft acquired the company.
The revival of this iconic series aligns perfectly with its 30th anniversary, as these remakes were released throughout this year. A representative from Bungie expressed strong support for the dedication of Aleph One in bringing the original Marathon experience to PC, Linux, and Mac platforms, while also incorporating cross-platform multiplayer capabilities.
The restored versions of the Marathon games come with several enhancements including optional widescreen HUDs, advanced 3D filtering and perspective, positional audio, and the ability to run at over 60 FPS. This addition caters to players looking for a slightly modernized experience while still honoring the essence of the original.