After Nightdive Studios announced its next major game would be a remake of 2002’s The Thing, most of us surely didn’t expect it to come with a potentially huge suite of gameplay upgrades. Yet that seems to be exactly what Nightdive is aiming for this time, as it’s made it clear that The Thing: Remastered will be more than just a regular, garden-variety remaster.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, Nightdive Studios’ business development director Larry Kuperman said that “without providing any spoilers, there are some things that, [Nightdive was] able to fulfill the original vision of the developers. That’s something that’s really important to [Nightdive].”
This is particularly interesting in the case of The Thing due to its legacy, wherein it was trying to feel more dynamic and surprising than it actually could’ve been due to the tech of the time.
The Thing: Remastered will be the dynamic horror experience the original could not be
“It will play the way you remember the original game playing, but that wasn’t the way it actually played,” Kuperman said. “[Computer Artworks was] really, really pretty happy, and justifiably so, with the game that they produced, but they were also aware of limitations, of things that they could not do simply because the technology, the game engine, did not support it.”
For those unfamiliar with The Thing, this might not be much on its own, but those who’ve played the original will know a few things that help understand what Kuperman is talking about.
The original The Thing attempted to incorporate the tension and paranoia that the legendary 1982 film delivered. To do this, Computer Artworks had to rely on scripted creature eruptions and combat sequences that would play out exactly the same way every single playthrough. It’s possible that Nightdive is hoping to make the experience more dynamic than it was back in the day.
Of course, The Thing: Remastered is still a remaster, which limits what can and cannot be done with the game. Judging by the screenshots, it will look more modern but obviously not cutting-edge, but what interests us the most here is the stuff that’s happening in the background, in the game logic.
In the grand scheme of things, Nightdive Studios cut its teeth on rather high-grade re-envisionings, remakes, and remasters, which gives them just the right sort of pedigree for this project. Last year’s System Shock Remake was a delightful throwback to the original experience, albeit modernized in every important way. The Thing: Remastered doesn’t seem to be going to quite the same lengths, but if its underlying gameplay systems do get the upgrade Nightdive’s been hinting at, we’re in for a treat.
