The game serves as a canonical sequel to Carpenter’s film. You play as Captain J.F. Blake, part of a search and rescue team sent to find the original survivors (including MacReady). The genius of the original was the "Trust/Fear" system. Your squadmates are not robots; they are terrified humans. If you wave a flamethrower at them, they panic. If you leave them alone too long, they might turn into a monstrous Thing. You must give them weapons, perform blood tests, and earn their loyalty.