Nightdive Surprises Fans With Launch of ‘The Thing: Remastered’ Available Now! [Trailer]

Over the past decade or so, the gaming industry has settled on a (quite inflexible) formula for any titles that are based on celebrated horror flicks. No matter the licence in question — be it a feted great like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a cult B-movie on the level of Killer Klowns From Outer Space, or even the straight-to-video Puppet Master series— it seems that the default model for these adaptations nowadays always has to be asymmetrical multiplayer.

In a best-case scenario (ala Friday the 13th), this approach can work wonders and feels like the most appropriate way of bringing the given source material to life. Other times, however, it can be oddly restrictive, and you end up with very singular IPs being contorted out of shape and robbed of their idiosyncrasies. All in service of a trend that’s at ever-increasing risk of getting stale.

Such is the case, for instance, whenever a famous boogeyman of the silver screen is retrofitted into the Dead by Daylight universe. When that happens, anything interesting about them is removed with surgical precision and their distinctive personalities are erased for the sake of adhering to the game’s blueprint of what a Killer ought to be. Sure, “The Nightmare” might sport Freddy Kruger’s fetching sweater and fedora ensemble, but he’s got none of the Springwood Slasher’s core appeal. His dream powers aren’t utilised to their full potential, he can’t perform any creative kills, and he’s ultimately reduced to just an ordinary guy; blundering around the map and slapping people with his once-intimidating glove.

The same goes for DbD’s Pinhead — who uncharacteristically surrenders his right to torture victims to an interdimensional deity — and Michael Myers — who also keeps his murderous inhibitions in check long enough to observe the protocols of some tedious ritual. What’s so frustrating here is that all of these legendary villains (from Pyramid Head right through to Ghostface, Sadako and even the Demogorgon) are beholden to the exact same, homogenised M.O. They’re not allowed to be themselves because they’ve got to be Dead by Daylight killers first & foremost, and that means keeping survivors alive on hooks until they dully bleed out.

I don’t mean to harp on about DbD as it’s only one example of this particular phenomenon. Granted, it is the most prominent that I can think of, but there are still plenty of other cases whereby unique scary movies have sacrificed their identities at the altar of the asymmetrical craze (see also Predator: Hunting Grounds or Evil Dead: The Game). Indeed, it’s no surprise that many in the horror community have started to roll their eyes whenever they discover that one of their favourites is being adapted in such a way. It’s just so overdone at this point and honestly feels like a failure of imagination.

I mean, if a developer were entrusted with The Thing licence in 2024, they’d likely be forced into producing a bargain bin Among Us clone; complete with tired social deduction mechanics, rote co-op objectives and half-baked combat. It’s almost inconceivable that we’d get a well-crafted, decently budgeted single-player experience out of it.

Yet 2002 was a very different time. Back then, experimentation was more freely encouraged within the AAA industry and not everything had to be quite so safe a bet. Not to mention, there was still over a decade to go before that asymmetrical fad took over the horror landscape; like a malicious alien shapeshifter assimilating everything in its path.

As such, when Computer Artworks were handed the keys to John Carpenter’s seminal creature feature at the turn of the millennium, there was no danger whatsoever of them churning out another generic 1v4 multiplayer offering. Instead, they made the inspired decision to create a tactical squad-based shooter. One that expertly captured the twitchy paranoia, oppressive setting, and gross-out imagery of the 1982 masterpiece upon which it was based.

The end result wasn’t flawless by any means and had some technical blemishes that were pretty hard to ignore, but it crucially felt like it was made by people who understood and loved The Thing. And that went a long way back in 2002. Heck, it still does today!

A Perfect Imitation Of A Cult Classic

Whether you are coming to Computer Artworks’ gem totally cold (no pun intended) or just have fond memories of trying to appreciate its low-res Antarctic vistas on your old CRT television set, now is the opportune moment to boot it up, because the wizards at Nightdive Studios have just given it their signature remastering treatment. And — to cut right to the chase — it’s received one hell of a facelift, as any side-by-side comparisons will instantly prove.

Indeed, where other remasters can sometimes feel like glorified ports, this is the platonic ideal of one. Everything from the character models to the textures, the animations, the lighting effects and the atmospherics have been rebuilt from the ground up in Nightdive’s proprietary KEX engine. Not to mention, those consummate preservationists have also managed to ensure that The Thing: Remastered runs smoothly in 4K and at up to 120 FPS on current-gen devices; giving it a brand new lease of life.

Yet while that visual overhaul might be striking, it is worth emphasising that this is still very much the same game under the hood. You see, much like those archivists who fastidiously restore centuries-old works of art — or Martin Scorsese lovingly touching up a decaying celluloid reel — Nightdive put a lot of care & effort into resurrecting lost titles just as they were. Or, at least, just as we remember them. As such, they don’t tend to take any bold creative swings with the projects they’re handling, and see themselves more as custodians of gaming history. Their job always being to preserve and never to mess with the original artistic vision.

Happily sticking to their lane in this respect, the studio’s new remaster of The Thing is exceedingly faithful to what came before. It keeps the old enemy & item placements, retains the same awkward voice acting, and only makes the most infinitesimal of tweaks to the mechanics. It even resists the impulse to catch veteran players off guard by, say, switching up the identity of that titular extraterrestrial changeling (although they have subtly changed how the infection system works). With that said, if you know the 2002 original like the back of your hand, don’t go expecting any dramatic shakeups here.

Who Goes There? 

Luckily, this extreme feat to the past isn’t a problem because (bar a few minor niggles that we’ll get to later) Computer Artworks’ shooter holds up remarkably well.

For the uninitiated, it casts you in the role of Captain J.F. Blake: the leader of an elite special forces unit that is sent to Outpost 31 in order to investigate the aftermath of everything that transpired in the John Carpenter film. With the benefit of actually having seen that flick, we’re a little more clued up on the situation than our avatar is but it doesn’t take long for him to draw his own conclusions. Namely, that everything is fucked!

From even the most rudimentary detective work, it’s clear that some kind of hostile organism infiltrated the compound, started picking off the researchers one by one, and eventually turned the handful of remaining survivors against each other. Judging by the obliterated remains of the base, it’s also safe to assume that — when they realised things weren’t quite going their way — the men took a drastic course of action by blowing the whole place to Kingdom Come. That’s the SparksNotes version of the story anyway, but it’s sufficient intel for Blake.

Having exhaustively combed the crime scene, you’re then dispatched on a series of missions (around 20 in total) that will have you visiting other memorable locales from the movie — including the Norwegian camp and the icy tunnels beneath it — alongside some never-before-seen environments that help expand upon the lore in interesting ways. Getting from A to B is easier said than done, however, as you’ll have to contend with 40-below temperatures on your travels, as well as the shifting loyalties & fragile psyches of your squad mates, a shadowy splinter faction that has ulterior motives with the alien, and, of course, the pesky shapeshifter itself; which could be hiding right under your nose at any moment.

“Trust’s A Tough Thing To Come By These Days”

For The Thing idolaters like myself, this 7-8 hour campaign manages to pull off the tricky balancing act of somehow following up one of the finest horror pictures ever made, while also taking the IP in a new direction.

The first half is especially gratifying, as you get to embark on a virtual tour of the movie’s various iconic sets. Whether it’s the ice block room where all the madness began in earnest for MacReady and Co., the dog kennels where shit truly hit the fan, or that subterranean lair where the Blair-thing is discovered assembling its makeshift UFO; these environments have all been reproduced in near-forensic detail. You can tell somebody on the development team must have spent months obsessively scrutinising behind-the-scenes stills and reference photos in order to make sure that it all matched up seamlessly with the film’s continuity, and that every last bit of production design minutiae was accounted for. Eagle-eyed gamers will even be able to find the axe that’s lodged in a door over at the Norwegian camp should they look hard enough.

On that note, there’s a lot of fan service here. The memorable fire-alarm klaxon gets some airtime, you can track down R.J.’s “We’re all very tired” tape, and it’s possible to uncover the canonical fate of Childs as a cool little Easter Egg.

Yet the game’s relationship to the Carpenter flick runs deeper than mere callbacks and throwaway nods. On the contrary, it understands its unique source material — and what’s made it such an enduring hit — in a way that frankly eludes a lot of those contemporary horror adaptations we discussed earlier on.

This is largely down to the smart choice of genre, as the squad shooter dynamic pairs perfectly with this licence and fits the story being told like a glove. After all, taking a movie that’s about paranoia and distrust, and turning it into a stressful team building exercise is an ingenious move on the developers’ part.

The gimmick here being that you’ve not only got to manage your companions’ battle tactics (as you would in Ghost Recon or Operation Flashpoint) but also their fast-deteriorating mental states. You see, your guys might have been prepped for the harsh realities of war and military black ops, but what they find in Outpost 31 is something else entirely. And they soon start to crack under the pressure.

Among other things, you’ll have to monitor each individual squad member’s anxiety levels, help them stay warm in the freezing climate, do what you can to boost morale, and generally try to inspire faith in your leadership. Because if they begin to doubt those capabilities for even a second — or worse still, question if you are who you say you are — then they will turn on you.

It’s a gripping twist on the squad shooter genre that injects a lot of tension into proceedings. On the one hand, these colleagues are very useful in a tight spot and you want to keep them on side (otherwise you’ll be left without a medic to salve your wounds, a gunman to watch your back, or an engineer to unlock path-critical doors). But on the other hand, they can be real liabilities when they lose their shit; prone as they are to hysterical breakdowns, panicked bursts of friendly fire, and sudden acts of betrayal. Come to think of it, Blake probably needs to start vetting his recruits a little more thoroughly!

In terms of the precautions you can take to keep things cordial, the main thing you’re gonna have to worry about is managing your squad’s finite resources. Case in point, furnishing buddies with ammo is a good way to calm their skittish nerves, but it does leave you out of pocket, so you’ve got to try and strike a fair trade. You’ve also got a limited supply of adrenaline shots that can (somewhat counterintuitively) be administered to soothe trigger-happy marines, and willingly handing over a powerful firearm is always a nice way to demonstrate that you’re on the level. Even if the latter is harder than parting than with your vital organs given the circumstances.

Meanwhile, on other occasions NPCs might be reluctant to follow orders until after you’ve proven yourself to them. You can do this by either completing key objectives in their presence or by submitting to an impromptu blood test that verifies you are a fellow earthling. That transaction goes both ways too, as you can use the same method to weed out any imposters in the group and then promptly torch them with a flamethrower if any untoward deception is revealed. Just be careful not to put yourself in the position where you’re liable to set an innocent man ablaze because you’ve wasted all the tests and can no longer discern friend from foe.

Kill It With Fire

In short, the whole trust system is very well implemented and (at the risk of trotting out an overused games reviewer cliché) makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of a classic scene from The Thing.

As in that movie, allegiances here are shaky and you’re forever on edge around your so-called brothers in arms. It’s a real thrill whenever you’ve then got to defuse a Mexican standoff or neutralise a frenzied teammate, because the permadeath mechanic means that any slipups could have major repercussions for your playthrough. As such, you’ll constantly be making tough calls when it comes to weighing up your own needs versus those of the wider group and, if you get that crucial balance wrong, you might even find yourself with a mutiny on your hands. Should that happen by the way, let’s just say it wouldn’t hurt to horde some of the best weapons for yourself!

A healthy suspicion of your comrades isn’t the only reason to cling onto that arsenal either, as the guns are incredibly gratifying to use and you’ll want to enjoy them first-hand. Sure, you’ll have to wait a bit for the satisfaction, as there’s a decent amount of build-up before the initial close encounter— it takes about half an hour before you even see a tiny spider-thing, and another 30 minutes on top of that before you meet a humanoid opponent. Yet when the combat finally does arrive, it is gloriously frenetic and oh-so bloody.

Aliens can pour into rooms from all different angles and quickly overwhelm an unprepared unit, so it behoves you to think strategically about where everyone is positioned, and which tools are best suited to the job in question. The awesome grenade launcher, for instance, is great at wreaking havoc in a large room that’s teeming with critters, but unload it in a confined hallway and there’s liable to be some collateral damage.

Conversely, popping long-range headshots on human foes with the sniper rifle is a rush (on account of the wonderfully squishy animation that accompanies it), but it’s not gonna be much use when a hulking creature is closing the distance on you with alarming haste. In that scenario, you’ll want to reach for the game’s phenomenal pump-action shotgun instead, which allows you to reduce everything in your crosshairs to a mulchy paste. It left me with a beaming smile on my face each and every time I used it.

And then, of course, there’s the aforementioned flamethrower: the only weapon that’s capable of finishing off the game’s beefiest enemies and one that capitalises on some rather impressive shadows & lighting effects; courtesy of Nightdive’s new upgrades. There’s something incredibly cathartic about the way it allows you to unleash your inner arsonist, by enveloping an enemy in flames and then watching as the fire spreads throughout the oil-slicked environs (causing any foul monstrosities it touches to immolate within seconds).

Assimilating The Past, Warts and All

Irrespective of which weapons you decide to take for yourself, and which you palm off on the rest of your company, you’re guaranteed to have fun marvelling at the gory mess you leave behind in The Thing: Remastered. Especially if you switch to the first-person targeting mode for a closer look at all this magnificent viscera.

Although doing so may give you cause to doubt your own status as a human, given that Blake’s head has a bizarre tendency to disappear from his body whenever you change camera perspectives. It’s a peculiar quirk in a remaster that’s otherwise free of any major technical hiccups like this.

Besides those spontaneous decapitations, any foibles that there are here can usually be attributed to Nightdive not updating something. For example, they’ve retained the obnoxious audio effect that repeats with every single step you take in snow, and they’ve done little to improve the AI’s self-preservation instincts when it comes to things like waltzing head-on into booby traps or getting caught on parts of the environment. Nor have they fixed the strangely cramped boss fights that seem destined to end after about 20 seconds, whether you emerge victorious from them or not.

I’d also argue that there are a few missed opportunities to think bigger and perhaps modernise some of the more dated mechanics. As it stands, for example, interacting with your squad often entails pausing the action to cycle through menus, when contextual button prompts could easily fulfil the same purpose and would be less immersion-breaking.

Elsewhere, it’s hard to get too invested in the survival of your teammates when the game keeps contriving reasons for them to bugger off between loading screens (whether it’s because they get extracted by a helicopter or because they refuse to crouch through a waist-high ventilation shaft). As a result, you end up with a revolving door of interchangeable companions who start to feel quite expendable. Whereas it would raise the stakes significantly if you only had access to a handful of these soldiers for the entire campaign, and therefore had to make them last.

Granted, while some of these proposed tweaks fall well within the parameters of a remaster, others are maybe a tad too ambitious. Again, Nightdive is known for its warts & all approach to resurrecting old titles, so I can understand them not wanting them to change things up in any radical ways. Still, I think there was room for at least a few respectful improvements that wouldn’t have undermined the OG developers’ vision.

Putting that one issue aside, however, this remains a terrific overall package that’s sure to delight fans of The Thing. Nightdive’s contributions are substantive and help bring Computer Artwork’s title into the 2020s. Meanwhile, the original foundations are just as strong as ever; with an unrelenting sense of tension and a campaign that does justice to its legendary source material. Devs working on any new games based on iconic horror movies would do well to study this exemplar.

Review code provided by publisher.

The Thing: Remastered is available digitally on PC via Steam and GOG, as well as on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.