This is a review from a casual player who’s gone through the original Marathon campaign a few times over the years. I just finished this scenario on Normal difficulty, and it was excellent. Possibly the best set of classic-style Marathon maps I’ve played. The Durandal chapter in particular stood out.
The best maps are those that capture the spirit of the originals while bearing little actual resemblance. I did get stuck on a couple of maps that did feel rough and confusing, like "Do Flares come Standard?", but those were exceptions. I’d actually recommend this to new players before the original Bungie campaign.
It's amazing how well the gameplay with just the original weapons and monsters still hold up. It still gives me adrenaline after all these years, a real sense of tension and momentum. A testament to both the map makers and the game design. This was way more fun to return to than playing Halo CE for example.
I haven't played much of Marathon in a long time but picked this up after a binge of other old-school shooters. In the last month I've played Unreal, Dark Forces, all of the Half-lifes, and then this, and I can safely say I liked Apotheosis the most! It's amazing how well the core Marathon gameplay holds up. I still think I miss a bit of the punchieness of the original arsenal though. Extra praise for aesthetics and level design. The story was alright, but felt a bit like a retread of Marathon 2 from what I remember of that. But I'd much rather play this than go back to Durandal.