The Thing: Remastered
PC/XBOX/PS
12/5/2024
Nightdive Studios, Computer Artworks
Nightdive Studios have rightly earned a great reputation for producing incredible remastered versions of classic games. Recently, they’ve tackled deep cuts such as Killing Time: Resurrected and PO’ed, but other releases from this talented studio include more familiar well-known titles like Rise of the Triad and the entire Turok series. This is a studio that does an amazing job of modernizing games while still keeping the essence of what made them special firmly intact. Their latest release, The Thing: Remastered might be their most ambitious project to date. But does this classic hold up in modern times? Or does it need to be torched by a flamethrower? Let’s find out in our full review!
Based off of the classic 1982 sci-fi horror flick directed by the legendary John Carpenter, The Thing originally released in 2002 for Windows PC, PlayStation 2, and the Xbox. This video game version of The Thing was an interesting product for many different reasons. Firstly, it came out 20 years after the release of the film. Second, it served as a sequel to the film, and it was a squad based third person shooter that mixed in survival horror elements. Despite taking creative risks in its gameplay and generally being a bit of a gamble, The Thing was a massive success managing to sell over a million copies despite the Game Boy Color and Gameboy Advance versions getting the axe before they ever saw the light of day. I often wonder what the heck a portable version of this game would have looked like, or if anyone would have bought it. Yeah, maybe that cancellation was the right call.
In The Thing: Remastered, just as they did in the original release, players take control of Captain Blake. Blake is the leader of a US special forces group known as Bravo and is tasked with exploring Antarctica in search of a missing research team. As you might have guessed, this search and rescue effort goes off the rails in a hurry, as THE THING, an invisible alien-like creature is seemingly still alive! Now you’ll need to join forces with other survivors and flame throw the hell out of spiders and other nasties through 20 action packed levels!
From a narrative standpoint, The Thing respects its source material and adds value to the franchise as a whole. The story featured in the game was good campy fun then, and that remains true even 22 years later. Voice performances hold up surprisingly well, and while some of the jerky animations present in the original look rather silly by modern standards, Nightdive Studios have done a bang-up job improving the performance of the game. This means that most cutscenes are still entertaining to watch even if they show their age at times. The script was never literary brilliance by any stretch of the imagination, but it was pretty damn good considering it had to live up to a film that many consider one of the greats.
As I alluded to earlier, The Thing is a third person action shooter, but with a twist. While there is generally a set path to follow throughout the story driven campaign, there is also some room for exploration as each level has a somewhat open feel to it. This means that you may at times find yourself having to choose between multiple paths. Most of the time throughout gameplay you’ll be blasting aliens using an assortment of weapons such as a flamethrower or pistol, while carefully managing your health and resources similar to a survival horror game. Mixing things up even further are squad members who will periodically join your mission throughout the campaign. These squad members can be issued orders and will help you with basic tasks such as healing or opening locked doors. The implementation of issuing orders, despite Nightdive’s best efforts, can still feel a bit clunky. Thankfully, commands are simple enough where the less-than-ideal UI isn’t as much of a headache as it could have been in this version of the game. Perhaps the most useful aspect of NPC characters that join you would be their combat abilities. To my surprise, the AI does a nice job of helping mow down enemies. Results may vary, however, as the game’s fear/trust system determines the behavior of squad mates. It’s important to try to keep your team in a good mental state, as if they lose trust in you, they can turn on you without hesitation. For example, entrusting your squad mate with a weapon will keep you in their favor, while accidentally shooting them will sever any trust you had. The fear system has been improved quite a bit from the original release in this remastered edition.
Nightdive Studios has given their all in an effort to refine the combat engine and controls of the original release. The game feels better than it has a right to in 2024, but there’s still no escaping the fact that The Thing has old bones, and at times, it feels its age. Even still, the fact that the combat feels as good as it does is a testament to this developer's talents. Aiming, shooting, and dodging all work effectively enough. Blake can use other items throughout gameplay too such as a flashlight to see in darker areas, grenades to take out groups of enemies, and even blood test kits that help you to check whether you have been infected by a lethal virus or not. A first-person mode is also available, but I didn’t personally get much use out of it. Overall, the combat and squad systems are still quite fun to engage with, impressive given their age.
If the monsters weren’t enough to contend with, your own squad mates can also be an issue for you. NPCs can sometimes turn into monstrous abominations, and you’ll need to think quickly in order to take them out. Nightdive has tweaked this system from the original game a bit, making it less cheap, but still challenging. The cold can also be your enemy, as staying out in the elements for a prolonged period of time can mean your demise. Knowing that problems can arise at any moment adds tension to The Thing.
While plenty of gameplay refinements have been made in The Thing: Remastered, perhaps the most obvious change is its visual overhaul. Nightdive Studios have gone all out for this release, improving texture quality, lighting, depth of field, shadows, character models, and so much more! This version of The Thing looks amazing when compared to the original and still sounds great too. As I touched on, voice performances aren’t half bad, and the sound design adds to the tense atmosphere of the game. The Thing always relied on environmental sounds more than anything, meaning that the soundtrack itself isn’t all that memorable. Players are now able to enjoy the game at full 4k resolution and frame rates up to 144fps, which trust me, makes all the difference in a shooter.
The Thing: Remastered is yet another example of Nightdive Studios working miracles. While it retains the identity of the original release, new visual upgrades, gameplay tweaks, and improved performance make this 2002 release more than playable in 2024. This was a great game when it was originally released held back only by the technical limitations of the hardware at the time. Now, it is an even better game. If you were a fan of the original release, or missed out on the first go-around, The Thing: Remastered is a lovely way to experience a classic game from the 6th generation. And if you loved the movie while never experiencing the game, you are officially out of excuses for not playing it. Bravo Nightdive, bravo, I can’t wait to see what magic you work next.
Comments