Haunting new Marathon Season 2 trailer amps up the horror, and our sleep paralysis demons are coming for us

Marathon Season 2: Nightfall is just around the corner, and as promised, Bungie's now revealing what's in store for us when it kicks off. In its latest cinematic, we get a thorough look at the new Night Marsh map, the Sentinel Runner shell, and what appears to be a fresh SMG addition. There is something very… off, about the trailer though, and I'm seeing a few extra limbs where they shouldn't be - nothing to worry about, I'm sure.

Throughout the Marathon Season 2 teaser we get to see plenty of newcomer Sentinel, though Bungie's not giving anything away regarding the new shell's kit. Perhaps more interestingly, the SMG we see Sentinel holding appears to be a lot more old school than the FPS game's usual crisp line approach to weapon design. This thing even has traditional iron sights, so I have to wonder if we'll see some more archaic elements filter in as Marathon progresses.

The trailer's tone is impeccable. Destiny 2 may be dead in the water (like half the shells in this teaser), but you could always count on Bungie to cook with its cinematics. There are some absolute horrors awaiting you on Night Marsh, and I'm not talking about the UESC. At multiple points, we see Runner shells sprouting extra limbs and stalking those unfortunate enough to be nearby. It's giving Slenderman, or the void-afflicted denizens of Hollow Knight Silksong, and I love it.

At the end of the trailer, we see an empty shell begin to reanimate. If you'll entertain my theorizing, I reckon there's something parasitic in the water down in Night Marsh, and it's taking control of decommissioned shells. If this is the case, then you'll want to remain wary of that squad you've just polished off, lest it returns to the field with a few extra limbs and a whole lot of terror.

Of course, we won't know what's going on for sure until Bungie spills the deets. The studio has previously said "full reveals" are due this week, so I expect a hefty blog post to drop any time now. Alongside everything showcased here, we also know that a new Runner shell stat customization feature called 'The Cradle' is en route, plus faster faction progression and some quality-of-life adjustments that have sprung up from player feedback.

Marathon continues to impress, and with Destiny 2 now on its way out, I'm sure Bungie will be doing everything it can to ensure its extraction shooter maintains its luster. If Night Marsh's in-game experience exudes that same dread the trailer does when Season 2 arrives on Tuesday, June 2, then I'll be a very happy (and scared) Runner. Tau Ceti's haunted. Cocks gun.