Whether you’re excited to dive into the tense extraction experience of Marathon, or are already deep into the trenches, you may have had your eye on the game’s attractive Collector’s Edition. Bungie kindly sent one my way to check out, and I’m delighted to share my impressions of this gorgeously-designed package and everything within it below.
Below is everything you get in the Marathon Collector’s Edition, as well as my opinion of whether it’s worth the investment for fans of this vibrant extraction shooter.
What’s included in the Marathon Collector’s Edition
There are two editions of the Marathon Collector’s Edition: one with an included game code for $229.99 and one without the game code for $179.99. Both are available while supplies last on the official Bungie Store website.
Regardless of whether you opt for an included code or not, here’s everything else you’ll find inside the box of the Marathon Collector’s Edition:
1/6th Scale Thief Statue with LED lights
USB-A to USB-C charge cable
Silkworm Miniature
Iron-on Embroidered Patch
6 Art Postcards
Zero Step Emblem (in-game emblem)
Zero Step Background (in-game background)
Photos and impressions
Unboxing the Marathon Collector’s Edition is an extremely pleasing experience. Not only is everything exceedingly well-packed, but it’s a visual delight from start to finish. Even as someone who isn’t normally a big collector’s edition guy, I was enamored from the moment I cracked open the hexagonal box to reveal its beautiful lenticular poster, all the way until I finished unveiling the Thief statue hiding within the styrofoam deeper inside.
The six postcards, patch, and silkworm miniature are all plenty neat for more hardcore collectors who really eat up any and every bit of these types of things, though they’re really not the stars of this package.
The artwork on the postcards range from fairly tame to really cool, but they’d all look slick framed as a set and hung on a wall in the right game room.
Again, it’s all pretty nifty — but for most folks, these smaller pieces will serve as little more than appetizers for the main course: the sturdy and intricately detailed Thief statue.
Having only seen photos prior to receiving my Collector’s Edition, I wasn’t fully prepared for just how large the Thief statue was going to be. It’s a chunky piece made of resin and PVC, standing just over 10.5 inches high and 6.5 inches wide. And it’s heftier than you’d think!
I don’t typically nerd out over these types of things, but the paint job and intricate little details on this thing blew me away right out of the gate. There was love and care put into this one, and it shows from top to bottom. Even after careful inspection, I couldn’t find any notable blemishes. This is just killer.
Speaking of the bottom, the Thief shell on display here is actually standing in a square of fake translucent water, with fallen UESC enemies littered below. It looks cool as hell right out of the box, but a few small LED lights light up this segment of the statue when plugged in with the included USB cable, if you’re so inclined.
Plugging the statue in requires a 5V USB port. It’s worth noting, though, that there’s no wall adapter included in the box. This probably isn’t a problem for most folks, but it’s something you should at least know if you’re planning to plug it in.
Conclusion
Whether you’ve already played Marathon and instantly fell in love, or you’re a new player looking to go big or go home, I’d argue the Marathon Collector’s Edition is a reasonable investment. Its smaller knick-knacks are neat, but it’s the stellar packaging/unboxing experience and immaculate Thief statue that really bring it home. Two thumbs up from this guy.
For more on Marathon, check out some of our guide coverage, such as All Shells and Their Abilities or how to level up fast.
