The Thing
A squad-based survival horror sequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film.
The Thing is a 2002 squad-based third-person shooter survival horror video game developed by Computer Artworks and co-published by Vivendi Universal Games (under the Black Label Games label) and Konami for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Set as a sequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film of the same name, the story follows Captain Blake, a U.S. Army Special Forces team leader sent to an Antarctic outpost to investigate the fate of the research team, only to face the shape-shifting alien that seemingly survived the film's conclusion. The game was endorsed by Carpenter, who appears in a cameo, and sold over one million units worldwide, receiving generally positive reviews.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Thing
- Developer
- Computer Artworks2024 remaster developed by Nightdive Studios.
- Publisher
- Black Label GamesPlayStation 2 and Xbox versions published by Black Label Games and Konami; 2024 remaster published by Nightdive Studios.
- Director
- William Latham · Mark Atkinson
- Producer
- Chris Hadley
- Designer
- Andrew Curtis
- Programmer
- Diarmid Campbell · Mark Atkinson
- Artist
- Joel Smith
- Composer
- Keith Tinman
- Platforms
- Windows · PlayStation 2 · XboxRemaster Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Third-person shooter, survival horror
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Thing is a third-person shooter in which the player controls Captain Blake, who can run, shoot, strafe, crouch, interact with the environment and NPCs, and use items such as flashlights, fire extinguishers, and flares. A first-person mode allows more accurate targeting but restricts movement to side-stepping. Weaponry includes pistols, grenades, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and fixed heavy machine guns. Enemies are divided into three types: scuttlers (small, fast, weak), walkers (larger, requiring fire to kill), and bosses (larger still, requiring specific strategies).
Reader's Guide
The game's significance lies in its integration of squad management with survival horror, featuring a fear/trust system that governs NPC behavior. NPCs—engineers, soldiers, and medics—have trust levels (red, amber, green, 100%) that affect whether they follow orders or attack the player. Trust is gained by giving weapons, healing, or using blood test kits; it is lost by friendly fire or threatening actions. Fear levels (normal, scared, crack-up) impact performance; crack-up can lead to suicide, attacks, or heart attacks. An infection system determines if NPCs transform into Things after contact with enemies. The Windows port added a mouse-look mode via patch 1.2. A sequel was canceled when Computer Artworks entered receivership in 2003, but a remastered version released on December 5, 2024.
Did You Know?
- The game is a direct sequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing.
- John Carpenter has a cameo appearance in the game.
- A sequel was canceled when Computer Artworks went into receivership in 2003.
- A remastered version was released on December 5, 2024.
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