22 years ago a game was released which went under the radar for many. A sequel to the 1982 classic horror film The Thing, it didn’t review overwhelmingly positively but those who played it found something special in those frozen, terror filled halls. Innovative and chilling, it nevertheless lay forgotten for over two decades. That is, until now.
Nightdive Studios is at it again. This time the developer is looking into horror games, with the announcement that it’s working on The Thing: Remastered. Back in the day we became used to all sorts of videogame tie-ins for films, usually of wildly varying quality. Occasionally, though, a labor of love would appear, and that’s exactly what happened with The Thing.
Released for the PS2, original Xbox, and PC, The Thing was on the surface a simple third-person action game. Set shortly after the events of the film, it focused on a group of soldiers who had arrived in the Antarctic to find out what happened to both the US base and the nearby Norwegian outpost. As you can imagine, things go downhill pretty fast, which is to be expected if there’s a shapeshifting alien on the loose that can become anyone.
Where the game set itself apart was in your interactions with the other soldiers, as you would control the main character, Cpt. J. F. Blake, and three others at any one time. Much like the film, The Thing revolved around fear and trust. In order for your soldiers to follow your orders, they would need to trust you. Lose that trust and they would begin to become suspicious, eventually turning on you, convinced that you were the alien. Similarly they would be affected by scary events and locations, becoming less effective the more scared they became.
In addition to that you also had to watch out for the alien. Not only would you have to engage in combat against various enemies, all NPCs could turn into aliens too via an infection system. This really puts you in the mindset of the scared, lost, and confused soldiers alone out there in an isolated outpost. You had to rely on them, but what if they were infected? They presumably would be thinking the same about you.
Incredibly far ahead of its time, The Thing sold well but was eventually largely forgotten with the developer closing its doors in the years after release. Now, though, Nightdive Studios is bringing it back, with a brand new version of the game heading to Steam.
There’s no release date for The Thing: Remastered just yet, but you can head to the game page to add it to your wishlist.
While you wait for it, why not check out our guide to the best action-adventure games you can play, or take a peek at our recommendations for the best classic games out there.
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