One of the most legendary action films in Hollywood history, Terminator 2 features some of the finest action sequences in cinema. Almost 35 years since the movies release, one of Arnie’s most beloved films is getting its latest video game adaptation following older titles on the SEGA Mega Drive (Genesis), NES and other early-90s hardware.
2D: No Fate sticks with the pixel style that was the standard at the time of the movie’s release and looks to faithfully recreate the original story. With a short runtime, does Terminator 2D: No Fate make a brief time, a good time? Here’s our spoiler-lite review.
Story
If you have seen Terminator 2 then the story of the game will need no introduction – if you haven’t stop reading and load up Netflix for a thrilling 2 hours. Terminator 2 tells the story of The Terminator, played by Arnie in the movie, as he takes the side of humankind in their war against the AI machines from Skynet. It’s a story that perhaps feels more relevant today than it did in the early-90s as the global rise of artificial intelligence expands its tentacles into all facets of human life – including video games, no less.
2D: No Fate is in utter adoration of 1991’s action packed subject matter. It recreates nearly all of the scenes in a loving way, ensuring that little touches – as subtle as Sarah doing pullups in jail, or The Terminator throwing a biker onto the grill – aren’t excluded. The motorbike and lorry spillway chase, The Terminator’s naked visit to the bar and of course, the finale in the steel mill are all here.
T2’s runtime is just over 2 hours, though T2D: No Fate is much shorter with an initial playthrough only taking ~35-minutes. Though short, 2D: No Fate offers multiple ‘routes’ to its story, offering limited replayability. The routes are dictated by mid-game choices with more unlocked after your first playthrough, which open up extra missions, bosses and non-cannon narrative. Despite that, most will be able to complete all three endings within the time the credits would roll on the silver screen.
Gameplay
As a side scrolling action platformer, Terminator 2D: No Fate offers run and gun action as its core gameplay. With multiple characters playable in the game – Sarah and John Connor and The Terminator himself – there are unique movesets and actions for each protagonist. The alternating missions are designed around their abilities, with John’s being more focused on taking out Skynet robots, whereas Sarah works on taking out foes from earth.
Though it isn’t just shooting. There are sections that offer stealth, including the prison escape being a stealth mission, and the highway chase scene on the bike is a twitchy game of dodging traffic and hitting speed boosts to escape the metallic T-1000.
2D: No Fate controls very well and is fun to play through a few times for all endings. Shooting mechanics are strong, the movements of our characters is fluid and enemies are really satisfying to take out. Although it’s a very short experience, there is a great array of enemy robots and humanoids to fill with lead or lasers, and the bosses are well-constructed fights. Most of my time spent with the game was on easy and normal difficulties, with bosses adding tangible challenge to coincide with the increase to difficulty. I do look forward to returning to the game for more challenging battles in hard mode.
In addition to the core Story Mode, Arcade and Mother of the Future Modes offer nothing more than the same missions with basic modifiers like no continues. There is a fun Boss Rush which allows you to hone your skills against the robots of Skynet. Alas, the high of that is brought down quickly by a very dull Infinite Mode which is a one-corridor gauntlet of never-ending enemies. Unfortunately, the repetition and artificial bloat of the exact same content between modes amplifies that T2: No Fate is very short and content-lite.
Visuals and Audio
The presentation of 2D No Fate including its audio and visuals is exceptional. Each of the game’s 15 brief missions are an adaptation from a scene that looks just brilliant in a pixel art form. If this had been released in the 16-bit era, the visuals would still be revered today.
Lead characters, bosses and enemies are all well-crafted in their design and movement transitions. But what really shone is the environments and it’s clear to see that the developers spent an awful lot of time identifying how the film sets of the movie could be recreated in a modern-day pixel action platformer. None of the missions feel repetitive because of their unique visual design, with highlights being the motorbike and truck chase and John Connor’s missions taking on Skynet’s cyborgs. Additionally, the stunning still-image pixel cutscenes will really take older gamers back to the SNES and Mega Drive days:
Complimenting the visuals exceptionally well is the game’s audio. From the moment you load into the game, the iconic soundtrack of the movie series kicks in with a 16-bit feel. There is further music from T2 included too, including licensed music like Bad to the Bone which can be unlocked in the mid-game bar stage. Sound effects are also great throughout including gunfire, enemies and explosions. This is an action platformer that is in love with an all-action movie.
Final thoughts
Terminator 2D: No Fate shines as a piece of homage to Terminator 2. A wonderful recreation of one of James Cameron’s best, that looks and sounds superb. The gameplay of No Fate is fun for the first few times you play through its campaign, though lasting appeal might falter when you have seen the three endings.
This is one of the better Terminator games of the last 20 years and fans of the films should absolutely lap this up. I recommend 2D: No Fate as a fun time, but it is a very short time and it may leave you feeling a little shortchanged despite its lower price.
Terminator 2D: No Fate is now available for Xbox One and Series X/S, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch & Switch 2, and PC. This review was played across Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. Thank you to publisher, Reef Entertainment for the code provided for review.
For more Terminator 2D: No Fate, see our achievement and trophy guides below:
Terminator 2D: No Fate Achievement / Trophy Guides
- Terminator 2D: No Fate – A Cracking Good Time Achievement Guide
- Terminator 2D: No Fate – Kick in the Door! Achievement Guide
- Terminator 2D: No Fate – 100 Chain and The Terminator Achievement Guide
- Terminator 2D: No Fate – Find All Assault Rifles Achievement Guide
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