The Thing Remastered XSX Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: A solid remaster of a slightly frosty survival horror shooter

3.4

Poor baby, you're starting to lose it

The Thing Remastered is the kind of game the modern remaster was made for. A fondly remembered cult classic with some great ideas that didn’t quite find its audience the first time around.

Set after the events of John Carpenter’s classic film, players take on the role of Blake, the gruff leader of a rescue team sent to the Antarctic base from the movie to find out what happened to the research team after they failed to call in.

It’s a tense third-person survival horror that keeps you on your toes by making you as paranoid as possible

You explore the freezing base, slowly unravelling what happened to the previous research team while trying to keep your squad mates from freezing to death or going Gonzo.

You’ll want to keep them on board by ensuring they’re well-equipped and trust you. Each of your three teammates has a specific role that helps you progress and keep each other alive. Your engineer helps open doors and fix things, the medic heals your party, and the soldier guns down the hideous aliens that want to use your body like a sock puppet.

It is a desperate and depressing situation, and the sense of hopelessness is not only palpable but avoiding it is a core gameplay mechanic. It doesn’t take long before your buddies begin to suffer the effects of being stuck in a derelict hut in the snow, full of twisted abominations and corpses. They’ll jump at loud noises, become uncooperative, and if you don’t keep them healthy and tooled up, do themselves in, convinced that the situation is completely hopeless and they’d rather die than turn into one of those things.

However, just like in the movie, your buddies may return from getting a generator going and start to act suspiciously. Not like themselves, like maybe there’s some kind of parasite controlling their actions, and at that point you need to test their blood. If it starts bubbling its time to start blasting and kill it with fire. The system isn’t perfect, but it still creates some organically tense moments and it’s always panic-inducing when your worst fears are confirmed.

The paranoia runs both ways though as other survivors you find won’t want anything to do with Blake and his rescue party until they prove they’re not just another wet puppet in disguise. Some need you to complete specific tasks, while others just appreciate being handed a means to defend themselves, patch themselves up, or some more ammo.

Some parts of the presentation do date The Thing, though, namely its combat. Shooting works fine, but it lacks the snappiness of post-Gears shooters. There are chest-high walls, but the best you can do is crouch in their direction when the bullets start flying.

This being a Nightdive remaster, the graphics and sound have received a light touch that maintains the looks and tone of the original. Textures have been upscaled, lighting feels a little moodier and complex but that’s your lot.

Final Thoughts

The Thing Remastered remains an interesting curio. A third-person survival horror with some great ideas and forward-thinking squad mechanics that although they may seem fairly pedestrian to a modern audience, were streets ahead of almost anything else on the market when it first launched in 2002.

It’s a quiet game full of menace and tension that understands its source material implicitly. If you’re a fan of the movie or have fond memories of playing this pre-Resi 4 action horror title back on the original Xbox you’re bound to have an unsettling afternoon revisiting this snowbound tale of paranoia and alien invasion.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

The Thing Remastered XSX Review