Beforehand inactive pc terminals in Bungie’s newly launched extraction shooter have now turned on, and somebody is speaking to gamers. And it could be a very powerful character in your complete Marathon franchise, voiced by certainly one of gaming’s greatest names.
When Marathon launched on Thursday, you possibly can discover switched-off pc terminals that seemed so much like those present in Bungie’s unique traditional Marathon trilogy launched again within the ’90s. Again within the day, these terminals offered textual content logs that instructed the story of Marathon. They typically took the type of completely different AI chatting with the participant or offering new missions. Most frequently, gamers communicated with the psychotic however clever AI Durandal, the OG trilogy’s most important villain (?), who famously wished to flee the inevitable collapse of the universe in order to change into immortal. Out of the blue, the terminals are on-line, and it appears Durandal is talking to gamers who discover them.
On March 6, somewhat over 24 hours after Bungie launched Marathon on consoles and PC, a brand new degree was unlocked for gamers degree 12 and as much as discover and loot. However round this identical time, gamers found that the classic-looking terminals have been now energetic. These terminals can present areas on the map, and in case you head to the indicated spot, you’ll discover one other traditional terminal and listen to a voice.
👀 Durandal #Marathon
Credit score: __meh pic.twitter.com/2BXVaTHiec
— Marathon Codec (@MarathonCodec) March 6, 2026
This certain feels like Ben Starr, who voiced the “narrator” in final 12 months’s Marathon CG brief. Quite a lot of followers speculated on the time that Ben Starr was truly voicing Durandal. There was even a touch in the direction of that within the credit. Now, it feels like Starr’s “narrator” is again and speaking to gamers via terminals in Marathon. However I’d guess all my shields in my Marathon vault that the voice heard in movies shared on-line by gamers is none apart from Durandal.
What does this imply? Nicely, I’m undecided. I’m not a Marathon lore knowledgeable in any respect. Nevertheless, the truth that Durandal is seemingly taunting gamers by way of terminals that additionally appear to be related to an ARG involving Marathon‘s upcoming “endgame” degree, Cryo Archive, makes me assume this isn’t the final we’ve heard from the maniac AI. In truth, I guess as Bungie continues to replace Marathon and add extra content material, we’ll be listening to extra from Durandal and different traditional Marathon trilogy characters. Maybe at some point I’ll get to shoot a S’pht within the face once more?
