PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, SWITCH, XBOX ONE/SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Continuing the story of John Carpenter’s 1982 movie, The Thing was originally released in 2002 and puts players in the shoes of Captain Blake, a soldier sent to the same Antarctic facility seen in the film to investigate what had happened there. What he finds is just as terrifying as what we saw in the movie – an invisible shapeshifting alien is on the loose, and Blake finds himself in charge of eliminating the threat and saving the surviving members of the research team. But, as fans of the film will no doubt be aware, the alien is able to possess humans and turn them into rage-filled maniacs, so nobody can be trusted…
The theme of mistrust is handled incredibly well in the game, with the actions of your squad members – up to three of whom can join you at any given time – being dictated by their current levels of trust or fear. If they trust you, then they’ll perform whatever actions you request, but that trust begins to fade (by accidentally shooting them too many times or refusing to supply them with enough ammo, for instance) then they might decide that you’re a “Thing” and will refuse to help you. At the same time, their fear levels change depending on the current situation, and frightened squad members will be less effective than those who are able to remain calm. These intriguing and compelling features make what is otherwise a fairly standard early-2000s third-person shooter stand out from similar games, and earned The Thing a decent amount of praise at the time of its original release.
By now, Nightdive Studios are well known for their sterling work in restoring, updating and preserving notable games from days gone by, and The Thing is no exception. Character models and textures have been upgraded, new animations have been added, and lighting has been enhanced to improve the overall atmosphere. Very little has changed in terms of gameplay, but then there’s no point in fixing something that wasn’t broken in the first place. More of a preservation effort than anything else, it could be argued that the undeniably old-school visuals might not be the prettiest in the world but, other than that, The Thing: Remastered is still an excellent companion to the movie.
