When it comes to old classic games, not many can match what Night Dive Studios brings to the table The Thing Remastered. Their previous remake of the classic “System Shock 1” is a testament to their prowess. Despite minor controversies, especially regarding the launch date, it did not steal away from the fact that the game was indeed a respectful adaptation of a 2D title into the modern 3D realm. Night Dive Studios not only preserved the very essence of the old System Shock 1 but also introduced it to a newer generation of gamers.
Following Tradition, The Thing Remastered
Night Dive Studios has followed up this tradition with its newest remaster of the classic “The Thing”. Based on the classic movie of the same name, which was also based on a book by John W. Campbell called “Who Goes There?”, the game is an aftermath of the horrific incident that transpired in the US Outpost #31.
The player is given control of Captain J.F. Blake, a member of a US SOF sent to investigate the events that transpired within the now non-responsive outpost. Trapped not only by the frozen wasteland but also by the shape-shifting creatures lurking around the corner, Blake has to make his way through the many facilities with his team, who you never know could be infected or not.
Enhancing the Original Game
The remaster by Night Dive Studios does justice to the 2008 title by improving the game in every way possible. The third-person shooter gets a very necessary resolution upgrade of up to 4K and a higher frame rate of up to 120FPS improving the visual clarity by a big margin. Utilizing the KEX Engine, Night Dive Studios’ proprietary engine, this remaster features enhanced character models, particularly for the shape-shifting monsters, making them even more terrifying and impressive. The game retains its gripping atmosphere and suspenseful gameplay with improved animations, texture quality, and well-refined audio clarity.
Addressing the Game Mechanics
One of the greatest problems for the game however is that while the developers did a good job in making a faithful adaptation of the game, they also did not seem to improve on many game mechanics. The friendly AI system is still rudimentary, to say the least, although it is not a glaring problem, the remaster does not seem to have taken the initiative to fix the rather simplistic AI system set by its predecessor. The game also has some small bugs, however, with time, these should be fixed with later updates.
The Reception and Future Outlook
Night Dive Studios had promised to deliver the original vision of the original developers, which they have indeed done well. Therefore it is a shame that this game has not been receiving the hype a remaster of this scale should receive, which might be due to the rather sudden announcement. Overall, the game has been receiving a good reception from gamers, having a score of 92%, and a very positive review on Steam, the game is on sale at the price of ₹ 1,300.
