Following the announcement of Killing Time: Remastered yesterday, Nightdive Studios has announced as part of the IGN Live Stream that they are also remastering 2002’s The Thing. It’s planned to be launched on PC and consoles later this year.
This announcement is somewhat surprising. Not only is this a relatively newer title that Nightdive is taking on compared to their previous remasters, but it’s a licensed one on top of that. They’re going all out with this one. The Thing: Remastered will not only port the game to the studio’s proprietary modern KEX Engine but also features “upgraded models, textures, and animations hand-crafted by Nightdive, plus enhanced lighting and atmospheric effects.”
Set after John Carpenter’s 1982 film of the same name, The Thing is a unique third-person shooter that leans into the trust angle of the film and not knowing whether the person next to you is even human. There was a trust system implemented to replicate this, which was one of the game’s most novel features, but also one of the points that were pointed out by players and critics at the time as being undercooked. Both the trust and infection angle had to be scaled back for purposes of scripted events. It was, essentially, too ambitious.
Yet despite its inability to quite reach its goals, the reviews it received at the time weren’t abysmal, and enough people look back at it fondly enough that it could be considered a cult classic. Not quite the vindication the film (which was poorly received at release) achieved, but it’s better than complete obscurity.
I haven’t played it, so I can’t really give you my own opinion on it. I haven’t even watched the movie it’s based on, which I’ll probably have to do before the remaster is released. However, I can tell you I’m excited to give it a try.
The Thing: Remastered is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC sometime later this year.
