Terminator 2D: No Fate Launches, is Pixel-Perfect Assault on Skynet

Bitmap Bureau has finally launched Terminator 2D: No Fate. This game expands on the popular 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, featuring side-scrolling action gameplay that allows you to play as Sarah Connor, John Connor, and the Terminator T-800 as you face Skynet soldiers and the infamous T-1000. Reef Entertainment has released the game on the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Sarah begins the campaign by training young John Connor in battle, then transitions to the action when her training is disrupted. She lays down the law with her trusty sidearm or blasts foes flying from a variety of directions. Later in the game, John assumes command and leads a fighter resistance against the lumbering T-800s, Centurion spider-machines, and airborne Hunter-Killers.

Combat remains quick and on point, with basic weaponry packing enough punch to knock out human foes in two shots, while power-ups allow you to add homing plasma or spread-fire to cope with those pesky machine swarms. Sarah prefers close-range firearms and grenades, which she may use to slide-kick foes. The T-800, on the other hand, transforms into a beat-’em-up expert, slamming bikers in the Corral bar or throwing them into the grill during boss encounters.

You can even reenact some of the game’s most iconic film sequences, such as a bare T-800 running wild in the Corral bar, snatching clothes and hitchhiking. The flood control waterway pursuit allows you to play as a biker battling the T-1000 in a speeding truck, swerving in and out of bursting gas cans. Pescadero State Hospital gets tense as you work on stealth sections, sneaking past the liquid-metal T-1000 via doorways and air vents. Then there’s the Cyberdyne raid, which gets dramatic as you platform past welding arms and hazards before ending in a major lab explosion. The steel mill finale features a multi-phase boss encounter with the T-1000 in all of its incarnations.

After you’ve completed the game once, you’ll be able to make a few decisions that will affect how the tale proceeds. Will you reset the T-800’s neural chip or leave Miles Dyson alive in the Cyberdyne raid? These little decisions reveal alternate paths, secret levels (such as fleeing a police station that pays homage to the first Terminator), and even three distinct endings.

Pixel art adds a gritty vibe to the film’s imagery, with smooth movements that almost blend into the background as the T-1000 morphs and reformulates from puddles on the floor. The soundtrack is also impressive, with chiptune compositions that recreate the Terminator 2 score sounding particularly good, with the main theme standing out.

The complexity does increase as you progress through the different options. ‘No Problemo’ allows you to stumble through the story with ease, adding continuations as needed. On the other hand, ‘Hasta La Vista’ and ‘Judgment Day’ ramp up the heat with stronger enemy patterns and far more aggressive bosses, while still ensuring that those health bars do not inflate out of control. Then there’s ‘Arcade’ mode for purists who prefer to go it alone, with no continues. Leaderboards also keep track of your rank, and ‘Boss Rush’ is an added challenge that pits you against every boss in succession.

A single story run lasts roughly 45 minutes, which is much shorter than the film. Unlocking everything takes a little longer, but it can range from three to ten hours depending on your skill level. The Day One physical editions include a slew of wonderful extras, such as reversible covers, posters, coins, and a handbook.