Marathon 2: Durandal (1995) Free & legal
1995 · Bungie Software · System 7 · Basilisk II (Mac IIfx) · 640×480 at 8-bit colour
Guide updated September 2026 · needs your own copy
A year after Marathon, Bungie did what sequels rarely do and improved nearly everything. Marathon 2 added water and lava you could swim through, vastly better level architecture, friendly aliens, and a structure that sends you back and forth across the surface of Lh'owon rather than around one ship.
It is also the first Bungie game most people outside the Macintosh world ever saw: a Windows 95 port followed in 1996. This is the original Mac release.
Controls
| Arrow keys | Move and turn |
| Space | Fire |
| Tab | Switch weapon |
| Shift | Run |
| Z / X | Sidestep |
| Delete | Action — doors, terminals, switches |
| M | Map |
Released for free redistribution by Bungie in 2005 along with the rest of the trilogy, and published free on Steam with Bungie's blessing in 2024.
Get the trilogy
- Aleph One — the open-source engine with all three games bundled, free.
How it works & what to expect
| Machine | Macintosh IIfx, 32 MB RAM, 640×480 at 256 colours |
|---|---|
| System | System 7.5.3 |
| Emulator | Basilisk II, compiled to WebAssembly |
| Speed | Desktop comfortably; a phone will struggle |
Marathon 2 is slightly heavier than the first game because there is more going on in each room. If it feels sluggish, shrink the game window with the minus key — it renders fewer pixels and the framerate jumps immediately.
What changed from Marathon
The obvious addition is liquid. Marathon 2 lets you swim, and it uses that for whole levels of underwater navigation and for lava you have to cross quickly. It sounds small; it changes the shape of the level design completely.
Less obvious but more important: the levels are better. The first Marathon was corridors in a spaceship, which is what 1994 shooters were. Marathon 2 is set on a planet, with outdoor spaces, ruined architecture and rooms that look like places rather than arenas.
There are also allies. The S'pht'Kr fight alongside you, and the game is careful to make you notice when they die. Durandal is still in charge, still rampant, still funnier than a computer in a shooter has any right to be, and considerably more open about the fact that he is using you.
The Windows port, and why it matters
Bungie shipped Marathon 2 for Windows 95 in 1996 under the name Marathon 2: Durandal. It did not sell especially well against Quake, which arrived the same year, but it is the hinge between Bungie the Mac developer and Bungie the studio Microsoft bought in 2000.
If you want to play seriously, the Aleph One engine gives you all three games at a modern resolution with mouselook. What is here is the 1995 Macintosh release exactly as it shipped.
Questions people ask
Do I need to play Marathon first?
It helps — the story continues directly — but Marathon 2 opens with enough context to stand alone, and it is the better-designed game of the two.
Is it really free?
Yes. Bungie released the whole trilogy for free redistribution in 2005 and published it free on Steam in 2024.
What is new compared to Marathon?
Swimmable liquid, much stronger level design, allied aliens who fight beside you, and new weapons including the flamethrower and the alien weapon.
Can I swim?
Yes, and you will need to. Several levels are built around it.
Why is it slow on my phone?
It is a 1995 shooter written for a 68040 Macintosh, running in an interpreter in a browser. Shrink the window inside the game, or use a desktop.
Where do I save?
At pattern buffers inside the levels, as in the first game.