Marathon's aura-farming NPCs show just how bland and lifeless Arc Raiders' AI-voiced characters really are

Arc Raiders is undeniably a one-of-a-kind extraction shooter, finally bringing the niche, hardcore genre to the masses. And while its retro-futuristic aesthetic, reminiscent of Fallout, is a joy to wage war pr make life-long friends in, the same can't be said for its cast of quest givers.

Try to think of any characteristic or personality trait to describe Shani. Impossible. Celeste? Nope. Apollo is by far the coolest, but that's just because he's a robot wearing aviators. Arc Raiders characters are puppets pretending to be human, a problem only worsened by the deadpan line delivery of their text-to-speech, AI-powered voices.

But it's an extraction shooter, so expectations were and still are low regarding story and characters. Yet, when you hop over to Marathon, and you see how overkill Bungie's been, it's hard not to feel let down even more by Embark's approach.

Like Arc Raiders, Marathon's faction reps are effectively just a user interface to offer quests and hand out loot. They're transactional—you're there because you need to do something. But Bungie understands that it doesn't mean they need to be boring.

Each one has a unique, incredibly stylised intro cinematic that explains the faction's reasoning for being involved in the narrative unfolding on Tau Ceti. Traxus built a lot of the infrastructure of the original expedition to the planet and is now attempting to claw back any profits and resources they can. MIDA is an anarchist group attempting to put the UESC in the dirt. Arachne? They're a deathcult.

You get the sense that Bungie was self-indulgent in crafting these intros, squeezing every ounce of graphic realism it could into every shot. It's oftentimes overstimulating, but that's kinda the point. They're cool, and they perfectly set the stage for Marathon's setting.

Then you meet the faction representatives themselves, and the impeccable aura only continues. MIDA's Gantry shifts between different graffiti styles constantly, with the creepy high-angle shot revealing the army of Shells behind him.

Traxus' Vulcan sits completely still in their throne, their piercing, glowing eyes staring right at you constantly. Their two-tone black and orange design is stark, and they're always accompanied by a massive lion. You get the feeling that Traxus isn't one to be reasoned or trifled with.

When UESC's Orion hacks into your brain, threatening you and demanding you stop interfering for your own sake, you're treated to an intimidating low-angle shot of the character barely in frame.

These unique visuals are only matched by the voice acting. I was initially surprised to see Marathon's stacked voice cast, with the likes of Roger Clark, Jennifer English, Neil Newbon, and Ben Starr, but it all makes sense when you hear them speak. Simply put, good voice acting takes talent, and it comes across in Marathon's faction reps, playable characters, and other tidbits.

Sure, Marathon's UI and general art style can be confusing and overwhelming at first glance, but I'm so glad that Bungie is unwavering in its dedication to its unique style. I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like Marathon before, and it's one element that's always underwhelmed me in Arc Raiders. It's cool to tryhard, even if it's 'just a menu'.