Terminator 2D: No Fate is full of Terminator references and Easter eggs, but this one is perhaps only for hardcore fans.
Retro action game Bitmap Bureau includes an Easter egg that can only be accessed after unlocking its most arduous mode, Judgment Day. Once you’ve done that, beat the game on Judgment Day difficulty and reach the Biker Bar level, which is only the second level in Arcade mode if you want to get there quickly. As soon as the level loads, you’ll immediately notice that the previously naked Arnie is now wearing very radiant neon 90’s Zubaz shorts.
Why is he doing this? This is a reference to how The Governor dressed on set while filming the biker bar scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. That’s right: a naked Arnie in Terminator 2 is a lie, and in this footage you can see those incredibly colorful behind-the-scenes shorts.
We thought we’d check in with the Terminator 2D development team to find out more about this cheeky Easter egg, and they explained how it came to be:
“When planning the game, we did a lot of research on the film: we watched it scene by scene, looked at materials such as the illustrated script, and also looked at content creation, which is where the idea for the miniature film came from.
“But we decided the behind-the-scenes shorts would be a fun Easter egg and can only be unlocked on Judgment Day difficulty!
“We also had an internal thread where we collected Easter egg ideas and managed to fit many of them into the game. For example, retro game fans can enjoy a custom ending to Arcade Mode, which we hope will be a nice reward for persevering with this challenge and completing it.
“For the biker bar level itself, we made a lot of tweaks during development as we refined it. We added two licensed music tracks, added a boss fight, a guy getting pissed off, gave the Terminator a question asking for clothes, shoes and a bike, waitress idle animations, etc., and then added a few more moves like the back punch, headbutt, and shoulder bar for depth.”
So there you have it! That’s why the Terminator is wearing retro shorts in Terminator 2D: No Fate, and if you don’t already know about his origins, now you have some fun movie trivia to impress your movie-loving friends with!
Arnie’s shorts are not the only reference to Terminator 2. IGN reported in June how the creators tracked down the actor who played John Connor in 1991’s Future War, taking into account his likenessand that’s how I found out why Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t in the game.
IGN’s review of Terminator 2D: No Fate gave it an 8/10. We said: “Terminator 2D: No Fate is a beautifully crafted tribute to one of the greatest films ever made, punctuated by excellent music, exquisite pixel art and brilliant Easter eggs.”
In Terminator movie news, creator James Cameron said he plans to make a new movie once the dust settles on Avatar: Fire and Ashes, but insisted Arnold Schwarzenegger’s time as the Terminator is officially over.
Wesley is the news director at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
