The Thing: Remastered: Everything We Know

The Thing, John Carpenter’s cult-classic horror movie, inspired a video game by the same name in 2002. While the game is as enjoyable as the film, it looks and feels old by today’s standards. Fortunately, Nightdive Studios, video game remaster specialists, is bringing the game to the modern era as The Thing: Remastered.

The remastered version of The Thing will feature many upgrades, including 4K resolution, 144 FPS, per-pixel lighting, and more. Here is an overview of everything we know about the game to give you an accurate idea of what to expect.

What is The Thing: Remastered?

The Thing: Remastered is a third-person horror-survival shooter video game. it is designed as a modern and improved version of the original video game The Thing, released in 2002. Notably, the remastered version will retain everything from the original game to preserve its unique appeal. Moreover, it will introduce several new upgrades and quality-of-life improvements to modernize it for the modern PC and console gaming platforms.

The most notable upgrades in the remastered version include antialiasing, which will make the game's jagged edges smoother, and per-pixel lighting, which will make everything look brighter and sharper. Other upgrades include 144 FPS for smoother motion flows and 4K resolution for sharper images.

Story

The Thing: Remastered retains the original game's story based on a potential sequel to the 1982 film The Thing. The film’s plot involves horrific events at two American and Norwegian research stations based in Antarctica. An alien creature kills researchers at the Norwegian station before escaping to the American station in the form of a dog. The American researchers set out to investigate, only to become victims themselves.

The game’s story is based on the aftermath of these events. The alien creature supposedly survives the researchers’ attempts to kill it. The U.S. government sent a Special Forces rescue team to investigate the events that led to the American researchers’ deaths. You play the role of Captain J. F. Blake, the rescue team’s leader. You must achieve your mission’s objective while keeping the team together to survive the harsh environment, the murderous alien creature, and the paranoia and mistrust among your team members.

Gameplay

The Thing: Remastered will deliver a fun and engaging gameplay style primarily comprising elements of survival, horror, and action. Survival is a big part of the gameplay, considering the game is set in Antarctica. The environments are freezing-cold, putting your health at risk. Moreover, the ice, snow, and darkness can hinder smooth movement. The team must overcome these environmental challenges to achieve the mission’s objective, survive the alien creature’s attacks, and ultimately kill it.

Besides the harsh weather and rough environment, fear and trust are also crucial aspects of the team’s survival. Interestingly, the remastered version features a new Trust/Fear interface, adding a new level of interaction as you monitor the team’s state of mind.

Notably, the team members must trust each other and feel safe to cooperate with your orders, as paranoia causes panic and irrational decisions. Unfortunately, fear and mistrust are hard to suppress, considering that the alien creature takes the appearance of the people it kills, meaning that the enemy could be among you.

Survival and action also merge when it comes to fighting the alien creature in its various forms. The alien creature takes many bizarre forms, such as spider-like creatures with human heads and tentacled beasts. They can also look like deformed humanoids or ordinary people. To this end, identifying the enemy can prove hard in certain situations.

You have various weapons with which you can fight the alien creature. They include automatic rifles, machine guns, flamethrowers, and explosives. However, it is worth noting that the creature is tough and can put up a fight. Moreover, it can escape or replicate, requiring you to keep fighting until you exterminate all replicants.

The game will feature 20 levels with various challenges and objectives. Interestingly, it will also feature new achievements. Players will enjoy better visuals with improved character models, animations, and textures, thanks to modern graphics and 3D rendering.

Development

The Thing: Remastered is currently under development by Nightdive Studios. Interestingly, this developer specializes in remasters and is credited for modernizing popular retro games like System Shock and Star Wars: Dark Forces. The developer is developing the game with Universal Products & Experiences.

“The 1982 film is a masterpiece and truly one of the most impactful pieces of art in the horror genre. With The Thing: Remastered, we are honoring that legacy and Computer Artworks’ incredible game inspired by the story that further expanded the lore,” says Larry Kuperman, the director of business development at Nightdive Studio. He continues, “Many of us at Nightdive Studios are ardent fans of the horror genre, so it’s been an incredible honor to work within the world of the iconic The Thing.”

Trailer

The official trailer for The Thing: Remastered highlights only a few aspects of the game’s story and gameplay style, creating more anticipation and curiosity in the gaming community. It opens with a recording detailing the rescue team’s plight and the alien creature’s nature. The recording paints a grim picture, revealing everyone is tired, afraid, and confused. The trailer then showcases the creature in various forms and ends with scenes of the team fighting it using guns and flamethrowers. Notably, you can see the game’s improved visuals and graphics throughout the trailer’s scenes.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

The Thing: Remastered is scheduled to launch later in 2024. It will be compatible with most PC and console platforms, making it available to more players. PC players will access the game via Steam. Console users can also play the game on PS4, PSX, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. interestingly, the game will feature new achievements and trophies via Steam and the various console platforms. Conveniently, the game will also launch a version for Nintendo Switch later.

So, what’s your take on our preview of The Thing: Remastered? Are you excited to play the game? Let us know over on our socials here or in the comments below.