The Terminator franchise’s overlap with video games has had mixed results. Despite this being a universe filled with video game catnip-like explosions, robotic skeletons, and laser cannons, there were plenty of misses and only a few hits. The same can be said about the entire film series, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day is an undeniable classic – the most significant action film of its time, which is still entertaining 30 years later. Terminator 2D: No Fate is solely an adaptation of this film and aims to recall both the film and the era in which it was released. As a nostalgic recreation of this era in entertainment, No Fate seems just right. Sometimes, however, we abandon frustrating retreads of video game design.
Developer Bitmap Bureau has become an expert at creating pixel art and releasing games that feel like they’re from the past. No Fate’s art direction is some of the developer’s best to date, and seeing all of Terminator 2’s iconography translated into classic arcade graphics is a real pleasure. The animations for all the characters, enemies, and robot tanks look great, and the cutscenes depicting the film’s most memorable plot moments are incredibly cute.
Gameplay is basic and primarily reminiscent of the run-and-gun gameplay of Contra III: The Alien Wars, with several visually engaging vehicle levels that rely on quick reactions. Most No Fate levels take place with Sarah Connor or adult John Connor in a destroyed future, taking a few steps, crouching, shooting at enemies and moving on. It works well and feels good, but I grew tired of the process, especially considering that beating the game and seeing everything it has to offer requires replaying the same levels over and over again. Reaching the end (which takes about an hour), dying on the penultimate level, and then starting over again is an antiquated style of play that I don’t miss.
Fortunately, the awareness of having to replay the game, the vehicle levels, the fighting level where you play the T-800, and the stealth level where Sarah escapes from Pescadero State Hospital keep the game from becoming too monotonous. Replaying levels also means that when you find secrets (like a better weapon or an additional sequel), they are incredibly rewarding, helpful, and worth re-acquiring on each playthrough.
After the game reaches the end credits, you have the opportunity to replay the campaign and make several key narrative choices that lead to major changes to the story and recent, original levels. I really like this option because it’s fun to imagine a different version of Terminator 2 (with at least one truly bleak ending), and it reminds me of weird video game movie adaptations of the past that had no problem straying from the properties that inspired them.
Terminator 2D: No Fate feels like a game that should have been released in the early 1990s to coincide with the movie’s release. This is the type of game that, had it been released at the time, would probably be revered as a great adaptation to this day. In 2025, it will still be a forceful retro adaptation of the beloved film, but it’s not without some design flaws that we’ve moved on.
