History VideoGame / MarathonExpandedUniverse

** The Astra Personal Matter Cannon is for all intents and purposes an BFG that kills everything but Juggernauts in one shot, and that includes you on max shields if you're close enough to ground zero. Extremely limited ammo.

* StandardFPSGuns: Apothesis mixes it up a bit:

** The Astra PMC is for all intents and purposes an BFG that kill everything but Juggernauts in one shot, and that includes you on max shields if you're close enough to ground zero. Extremely limited ammo.

* TheCracker: In Apotheosis the Pfhor have replaced the S'pht, who are long considered to be a massive security risk since the whole mess on Lh'owon, with the Virals, a cyborg-abomination that looks like a flying, disembodied bug with exposed tech ribs and spine. Compared to their predeccessors, they are shielded and can suicide bomb on you if they get too close.

* AbusivePrecursors: In ''Apotheosis'' [[spoiler:The Angels have a similar backstory to the S'pht, but with a darker outcome: They were uplifted by Yrro and Pthia, who then left, and the Angels dutifully maintained and expanded their works. But then Yrro returned, alone and driven to madness by Pthia's death, and devastated them for reasons the Angels could not fathom, sowing the deep-seated hatred for their forefather in the process that drives the events of the mod. This is presented via the Bible passage-like terminals, specificially the Book of Genesis.]]

* AbusivePrecursors: In ''Apotheosis'' [[spoiler:The Angels have a similar backstory to the S'pht, but with a darker outcome: They were uplifted by Yrro and Pthia, who then left, and the Angels dutifully maintained and expanded their works. But then Yrro returned, alone and driven to madness by Pthia's death, and devastated them for reasons the Angels could not fathom, sowing the deep-seated hatred for their forefather in the process that drives the events of the mod. This is presented via the Bible passage-like terminals.]]

The game is still under development; the team hopes to have an official 1.3 release ready in 2023 featuring many more additions, including updated weapons, a massively expanded soundtrack (which now runs for some six hours), new monster sprites[[note]]As of November 2022, these include Compilers, Fighters, Troopers, Hunters, two different Enforcers, a new Bob for the final chapter, and the final boss[[/note]], a complete remake of the Pfhor texture set, significant changes to other textures, new landscapes, an expanded and rewritten story, new characters, refinements to existing characters, a new final boss fight, several partially or completely remade levels, major changes to the structure of the game's third chapter (including a new level of sorts), a new secret tracker, additional enhancements and additions to level design, CD-quality stereo remixes of many sounds from their sources, massive amounts of new terminal art, and more. The fourth preview of 1.3 (which is still very much a work in progress) is [[http://eternal.bungie.org/development available as of November 2022]] (as is a link to a [[https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mnu8pjd2yuatfyi/AAD4hMuNieQCvKzP56WYWgwsa Dropbox folder]] containing the latest development files, when those differ from the most recent preview build). 1.4 or 2.0 releases may still follow 1.3.

* OminousLatinChanting: As of late January 2023, ''Eternal'' 1.3 adds some in the soundtrack for "Run, Coward!" - using classical four-part harmony[[note]]as much as you can get with a twelve-bar blues progression, at least - V-IV progressions are proscribed in classical harmony but are central to blues music and, by extension, modern popular music as a whole[[/note]] and actual Latin, no less. Although the OST isn't complete yet, the creators have made a prototype available [[https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuD0MykSsmaRnUJawmCYx8my2zSS?e=ECcjQf here]] (the track in question is track 36, and the chanting appears at about 6:49 into the track).

*** Lastly, a few specific movements would qualify for EpicRocking all by themselves: as mentioned above, Talashar's "Aerival" (11:55) and Aaron Freed's "What About Bob?" (8:16), plus Solar-Tron's "New Pacific Hfarl" (7:25 in-game, 8:00 OST), Aaron's "Flowers in Heaven" (6:08), and Talashar's "Bungie Cyber-Thrash Medley" (6:04).

** In ''Eternal'', the seventh level of each chapter (by level number) is always a "failure dream" and the tenth is always a "success dream", and they always have the same basic architecture. Except that "[[spoiler:The Ensurance Trap]]" and "[[spoiler:Where Giants Have Fallen]]" aren't actually dreams; they take place in the real locations their dream counterparts are based on. [[spoiler:Chapter five's "success dream" is actually "The Near Side of Everywhere", but it's still playing the "failure dream" music, because the timeline ended in the galaxy's destruction. The only bright side is that Durandal and Marcus can now return to ''Infinity''[='=]s ending and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong using the knowledge they gained from ''Eternal''.]]

[[spoiler:MissionControl Durandal]], in the game's final terminal, literally calls [[spoiler:the W'rkncacnter and ascended Jjaro]]'s approaches "suicidal" before suggesting that imposing one's desires on others through force is ethically objectionable, also implying that a free society requires a balance between order/law and chaos (interestingly, [[spoiler:post-HeelFaceTurn Hathor]] has also come around to this stance). As a footnote, earlier [[spoiler:Jjaro]] society was idyllic and benevolent, and was formed primarily by humans and their cyborg descendants. Also, much of this background mythology was planned to tie in with ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''[='=]s story before Bungie changed the latter to remove its explicit connections to ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}''.

----> "the [[spoiler:ascended jjaro]] sought to embody order, and the [[spoiler:w'rkncacnter]] chaos. but in their futile quest to impose order on an entropic universe, the abyss has gazed into the [[spoiler:jjaro]], who have become enantiodromic mirrors of their foes; their conflict has led to [[spoiler:the impending destruction of the galaxy]] - thereby handing victory to [[spoiler:the w'rkncacnter]]." '''-[[spoiler:Hathor]], "We Met Once in the Garden"'''

** GratuitousSpanish: Most of the annotations in the ''Apotheosis'' beta level "Eve of Orbit" (and ''Eternal''[='=]s "Eat S'pht and Die", starting in version 1.3) are in Spanish, though, as mentioned above, one is in Guaraní:

---> their clash is not a fundamental philosophical disagreement, but a mere fight to emerge atop a hierarchy. both take as granted that in-groups will be protected but not bound by the law, and that out-groups will be bound but not protected by it. they are merely fighting to be the in-group. they may see each other as opposites, but they are merely two shades of tyranny.\\

there is, of course, a counterproposal: the law must both protect and bind ''everyone'', leaders not excepted. only through being bound by the law can any leader truly embody the balance and justice required by ''ma'at''.

** ''Apotheosis'' has a couple of examples, since it was never properly finished. There's a pit on "The Salt Pile" that was supposed to have lava, but lacks it, meaning that if you fall into it, you get stuck and have to reload (or kill yourself). The level "4 Dead Otters on Strings Dancing" is a case of a level lacking enough oxygen for Total Carnage. "Gravin Threndor" ''just barely'' has enough oxygen to complete on TC, but it may take players several times to complete. On the whole, the scenario lacks the ObviousBeta aspects that many other unfinished mods possess (there a couple of other rough edges like a couple of polygons on "Eve of Orbit" taking you to the end of the game, and a few walls that should be marked solid being passable), but overall, it's about 97% complete. In August 2020, one of the original creators decided to finish it; a complete remake entitled ''Apotheosis X'' appeared in September 2022. Version 1.0 still featured a few examples, some owing to weird engine bugs and others to oversights that escaped the creators' attention; version 1.1 fixes them.

* WaveMotionGun: ''Eternal'' gives the player the long-awaited Wave Motion Cannon that was DummiedOut of the original game, and it's enough to one-shot any enemies the player fires it at, including Juggernauts.[[note]]In 1.3, the primary trigger currently two-shots Juggernauts and the secondary trigger one-shots them, although developer commentary indicates that this may change in the final release.[[/note]] It's quite ammo-hungry, though, and for most of the chapter after the player acquires it, its ammo is quite scarce; the last chapter finally rectifies that.
* WhyIsntItAttacking: The powered-down Juggernauts reappear in the ''Eternal'' level "Second to Last of the Mohicans", starting in version 1.2 of the game. Lower difficulties have them reappearing exactly as they appeared in the ''Infinity'' level "Post Naval Trauma". On higher difficulties, they'll move around and [[https://youtu.be/9ZKiMxorens attack erratically]] - they're liable to attack each other as much as they'll attack the player, but they still pack just as much of a wallop when they die. As with ''Infinity'', this is a justified usage, since they're not fully powered up. ''Eternal'' 1.3 also adds these to "Killing the Giants as They Sleep" - fitting, given the level name.

** ''Apotheosis'' has a couple of examples, since it was never properly finished. There's a pit on "The Salt Pile" that was supposed to have lava, but lacks it, meaning that if you fall into it, you get stuck and have to reload (or kill yourself). The level "4 Dead Otters on Strings Dancing" is a case of a level lacking enough oxygen for Total Carnage. "Gravin Threndor" ''just barely'' has enough oxygen to complete on TC, but it may take players several times to complete. On the whole, the scenario lacks the ObviousBeta aspects that many other unfinished mods possess (there a couple of other rough edges like a couple of polygons on "Eve of Orbit" taking you to the end of the game, and a few walls that should be marked solid being passable), but overall, it's about 97% complete. As of August 2020, one of the original creators has decided to finish it, and a final version with HD textures, replacements for a few levels and polish to the rest, remastered sounds, and other amenities is now under construction.

*** Version 1.3 features new CD-quality stereo remixes of many of these sound effects directly from their sources (a sound library by the Canadian company Sound Ideas); it also adds a colossal amount of new music, all with similar dynamic range to 1.2's soundtrack (i.e., [=DR9=] to [=DR15=] for complete tracks, [=DR8=] to [=DR17=] for individual movements, still scoring [=DR12=] overall. The few movements that score [=DR8=] aren't even especially compressed, but their lack of percussion or any sort of instrumentation with a sharp attack hurts their scores).

* SongStyleShift: Some of the longer level soundtracks inevitably do this. As of January 2023, *Eternal* 1.3's version of "Fat Man" (used on "Run, Coward!") starts out flitting around various fusions of rock, electronic, and dance music before taking a detour into ambient music, then adding OminousLatinChanting (in actual Latin, no less) using as close to classical four-part harmony as you can get within a twelve-bar blues progression. After this, it delves into a post-rock-influenced buildup before returning to the expected electronic rock style. Though this is an extreme example even for ''Eternal'', this trope is all over the game; it seems to have been a deliberate artistic choice to keep the music from getting monotonous on longer levels.

*** The soundtrack is likewise a case of {{Bookends}}, since both versions use arrangements of "Swirls", though in 1.3 (as of February 2023), both versions also add an ambient introduction that features vocals (in Latin, serving as [[spoiler:Hathor's apology to the player and everyone else she's wronged]] - helpfully translated in the game's penultimate terminal) in "The Near Side of Everywhere". This piece is also subject to the RuleOfThree, since it's the backing for the OminousLatinChanting in the music for "Run, Coward!"

** The game starts with "The Far Side of Nowhere" and ends with "The Near Side of Everywhere", which sees the player revisiting the area of the former level in reverse.

** As of September 2022, ''Eternal'' 1.3 has several examples, often incorporating work from multiple arrangers, which the codirector has called "ProgressiveRock-style epics". These can all be found in Ogg Vorbis format on the Dropbox build linked on ''Eternal''[='=]s development page (navigate to Eternal-Data/Music), or a [[https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuD0MykSsmaRnUJawmCYx8my2zSS?e=ECcjQf FLAC release]] the developers have made available through Discord. For the sake of brevity, we'll restrict this list to examples over nine minutes long[[note]]as of January 2023, there are an additional nine examples between six and nine minutes long[[/note]] and only list the level and the length of its respective soundtrack; the developers also have a [[https://1drv.ms/b/s!AuD0MykSsmaRogKoxid7o3QXrYBa?e=ZcC1Wg detailed track list]] with additional soundtrack metadata.

*** "Remedial Chaos Theory": 13:55. This level replaces "Unwired" from prior releases; both are very long levels.

*** "The Midpoint of Somewhere": 12:16. New level in 1.3 preview 4.

*** "Babylon X": 11:11. Another possible case of LongSongShortScene due to Aaron's mix of "What About Bob?" (which is around 8:16).

*** "Unlucky Pfhor Some": 9:38 in-game (11:32 OST).

*** "Babylon X": 11:11. Another possible case of LongSongShortScene due to Aaron's mix of "Babylon X" (which is around 8:16).

*** "Babylon X": 11:11. Another possible case of LongSongShortScene due to Aaron's mix of "Babylon X" (which is around 8:19).

*** "Killing the Giants as They Sleep": 14:00. This is another level comprised of two levels from past versions ("May the Pfharce Be With You" from 1.1 and earlier and "Forever My Greatest and Only Love" from 1.0.x).
*** "Remedial Chaos Theory": 13:55. This level replaces "Unwired" from 1.2.x and earlier versions; both levels are very long.

*** "Babylon X": 11:04 in-game (11:11 OST). Another possible case of LongSongShortScene due to Aaron's mix of "Babylon X" (whose in-game mix is itself 8:09).

An atmospheric and often terrifying total conversion of extremely high quality. The first release, which can be found [[http://simplici7y.com/items/marathon-apotheosis on Simplici7y,]] was only about 97% finished, but only occasionally has the ObviousBeta elements commonly associated with unfinished mods. One of the original creators began rebuilding the game almost from scratch in 2020. A recent preview of this is available [[https://youtu.be/QtBL1nwTJSY on YouTube]], and an older, heavily WIP (with broken physics, weapon sprites, and HUD; placeholder sounds; and miscellaneous level bugs) but nonetheless quite impressive preview [[https://youtu.be/3cche7q_uz8 can be found on YouTube.]] The remade ''Apotheosis X'' was [[https://simplici7y.com/items/apotheosis-x-5 released]] on September 30, 2022.

The game is still under development; the team hopes to have an official 1.3 release ready in 2023 featuring many more additions, including updated weapons, a massively expanded soundtrack (which now runs for almost five hours), new monster sprites[[note]]As of November 2022, these include Compilers, Fighters, Troopers, Hunters, two different Enforcers, a new Bob for the final chapter, and the final boss[[/note]], a complete remake of the Pfhor texture set, significant changes to other textures, new landscapes, an expanded and rewritten story, new characters, refinements to existing characters, a new final boss fight, several partially or completely remade levels, major changes to the structure of the game's third chapter (including a new level of sorts), a new secret tracker, additional enhancements and additions to level design, CD-quality stereo remixes of many sounds from their sources, massive amounts of new terminal art, and more. The fourth preview of 1.3 (which is still very much a work in progress) is [[http://eternal.bungie.org/development available as of November 2022]] (as is a link to a [[https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mnu8pjd2yuatfyi/AAD4hMuNieQCvKzP56WYWgwsa Dropbox folder]] containing the latest development files, when those differ from the most recent preview build). 1.4 or 2.0 releases may still follow 1.3.

Ryoko has also provided some quite candid [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-_EnUuI9PUoIncYlqgWainfOUoZAXhCY YouTube commentary]] for the first thirty-five levels of the game, which is a copious source of WordOfGod about the scenario. (This commentary was for an older release that didn't include the secret levels "Gateway to Audacity" through "Artemis Anomaly"; they were meant to be a project called ''Thunderstorm'' before Ryoko abandoned it and stuck them in version 1.3 as secrets accessible from "Swan Song". Later releases also address some of his self-criticisms, like "Escape Two Thousand"'s combat.) The most recent release as of April 2022 is 1.4, which adds features like a map overlay that provides game and level stats, a remastered soundtrack, ammo limits on Total Carnage, a new skull obtained by killing all monsters on a level, a secret for hardcore players that strips the player's arsenal to the starting pistol after each level (''Phoenix'' was balanced so that players of sufficient skill could feasibly complete Total Carnage pistol starts without resorting to fists), and gameplay rebalance for certain levels (the aforementioned "Escape Two Thousand", which had been a common source of complaints, being perhaps the most notable).\\

* SongStyleShift: Some of the longer level soundtracks inevitably do this. As of January 2023, *Eternal* 1.3's version of "Fat Man" is a particularly noteworthy example: it starts out flitting around various fusions of rock, electronic, and dance music before taking a detour into ambient music, then adding OminousLatinChanting (in actual Latin, no less) using as close to classical four-part harmony as you can get within a twelve-bar blues progression. After this, the song delves into a post-rock-ish style buildup before the track returns to the expected electronic rock style. This is far from the only example.

*** "Unity of Opposites" (formerly "Unpfhorseen"): 13:37.

*** "Run, Coward!": 10:32.

*** Though it's not used in the game, there's also a bonus 20:05 mega-medley of "Splash (Marathon)" featuring arrangements by wowbobwow, Talashar, Cory King Tucker, Matrix_XV, Dan Storm, and Aaron Freed. (A previous mix ran for 21:12, which was clearly a nod to [[Music/TwentyOneTwelve a famous example]] of EpicRocking, especially given the musical references to "[[Music/MovingPictures YYZ]]" in Aaron's "Fat Man" arrangement; however, one of the movements in the "Splash" medley was later moved to "We Met Once in the Garden" and a new arrangement was added.)

* {{Infodump}}: ''Trojan'' features one in an aptly named ''Revelations'' chapter late in the game, where an AI Cain rather condescently lays it on you almost all the plot: [[spoiler: The Troy colony was originally the homeworld of the invading, or rather reconquering aliens who are ticked off at the human squatters, and more importantly they warped from another galaxy, something that no one outside the Jjaro can do. To puncutate how big the deal the latter point is, Cain further explains that the introduction of the Warp technology utterly uppended human society and gave rise to Megacorporations in general and the Multi-Planetary-Company in particular (the Megacorp that the player worked for) that now rule humanity, and the whole reason MPC established a colony on such a backwater like Troy was to loot and reverse engineer this super-warp tech and cement their power.]]

** As of September 2022, ''Eternal'' 1.3 has several examples, often incorporating work from multiple arrangers, which the codirector has called "ProgressiveRock-style epics". These can all be found in Ogg Vorbis format on the Dropbox build linked on ''Eternal''[='=]s development page (navigate to Eternal-Data/Music), or a [[https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuD0MykSsmaRnUJawmCYx8my2zSS?e=ECcjQf FLAC release]] the developers have made available through Discord. For the sake of brevity, we'll only list the level and the length of its respective soundtrack; the developers also have a [[https://1drv.ms/b/s!AuD0MykSsmaRogKoxid7o3QXrYBa?e=ZcC1Wg detailed track listing]] with additional audio metadata regarding the soundtrack.

*** "Remedial Chaos Theory": 13:42. This level replaces "Unwired" from 1.2.x and earlier versions; both levels are very long.

*** "Enantiodromia" (formerly "Hysterical Womb"): 11:51 in-game (12:03 OST).

*** "Unity of Opposites" (formerly "Unpfhorseen"): 10:00.

*** "Heart of Fusion": 9:36 in-game (11:32 OST).[[note]]The OST seems to preview a planned track loop before fading out; however, the in-game version omits the loop and fade-out and tacks on a different, much shorter coda. Aleph One track looping is notoriously finicky; most likely the developers couldn't get this one to work.[[/note]]

*** "Babylon X": 9:06
*** "Burning Down the Corporation": 8:52.
*** "Once More Unto the Breach": 8:47.
*** "The Incredible Hulk": 7:25 in-game (8:00 OST).
*** "The Dead Live in the Catacombs": 7:22.
*** "Roots and Radicals": 7:00.
*** "Pissing on the Corporation": 6:20.
*** "This Cave Is Not a Natural Formation": 6:13.
*** "This Message Will Self-Destruct": 6:04. The medley used on this level incorporates elements of "Flowers in Heaven" and "Fat Man", though a lot of it also seems to be original material.