Terminator 2D: No Fate Review – What We Make for Ourselves

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Even before the year 2000, long before discussions about artificial intelligence became common, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a film people immediately wanted to watch again and again. Its action sequences and visuals felt as powerful as its story about fighting against a predetermined future, especially with the relentless pursuit of the T-1000, played by Robert Patrick. Despite its lasting impact, the movie hasn’t been fully explored in video games, although some titles like Terminator: Resistance have found fans.

Terminator 2D: No Fate offers a different take on the classic story, swapping big-budget action for a retro, side-scrolling shooter experience. It doesn’t hit every iconic moment perfectly, but it’s a solid adaptation that also adds interesting new details to the plot.

It’s amusing how the film starts in such an unexpected way: with Sarah Connor trying to protect her son from a group of armed thugs, led by a character strikingly similar to Michael Madsen wielding a minigun. You might not remember this opening scene – I didn’t either – but it cleverly sets the stage for many of the film’s most famous moments. These include John Connor’s escape from the T-1000 and subsequent rescue by the T-800, Sarah Connor’s breakout from the mental hospital, the thrilling highway chase, and even the T-800’s arrival in 1994 and its unusual shopping trip.

Scenes like the T-800’s initial appearance before Sarah, which are meant to bring up painful memories, don’t quite hit as hard when you remove the dramatic showdown that follows.

The game boasts beautiful sprite art and fluid animation. Seeing iconic moments like the T-1000 scanning its environment or transforming is incredibly faithful to the source material, and these small details really make the adaptation feel authentic. The music is equally impressive, blending the classic theme with new tracks that perfectly match the tension and speed of each mission. This level of polish is especially welcome, as dedicated players will be spending a lot of time with the game.

The game takes quite a few creative freedoms. The attack on Cyberdyne headquarters with Miles Dyson skips the funny stealth section and jumps right into a gunfight with the police while Sarah sets bombs. Sometimes, this works well – escaping with John and constantly dodging the T-1000 in the steel mill is really intense, though it can be frustrating to learn the ropes at first.

One of my biggest disappointments with the game is how little time you actually spend as the T-800. While Sarah and future John Connor get significant storylines, the T-800’s role in the main story feels limited. You experience his arrival, the rescue of John, and a highway chase…and that’s pretty much it. The game misses opportunities to include iconic moments, like fleeing from the T-1000 while protecting Sarah, navigating through tear gas to find masks, or even directly participating in the final fight with the T-1000 – you just watch those happen.

It makes sense that the story in Terminator 2D focuses more on Sarah and John. However, some moments, like the T-800’s initial appearance and its connection to Sarah’s past, don’t quite land as strongly without seeing him destroy the T-1000. That event is what ultimately convinces Sarah to trust him and accept his help. Even the text that follows, where she says he saved her, feels confusing if you haven’t seen that crucial scene. The animators deserve credit, though, for cleverly hinting at Sarah’s fear through her movements, recreating the iconic slow-motion shot without directly showing it in the game.

Some levels are simple runs across the screen, letting you easily defeat enemies. Others are more challenging, featuring tricky platforming and a variety of dangers, like security systems and different types of Terminators.

I really enjoyed the speed of the game, and it makes sense that Terminator 2D cuts out some scenes to keep things moving. However, it’s a shame because those removed moments were important in the original. For example, I can picture John bonding with the T-800 and teaching it gestures, but the game leaves out their observation of children playing – a moment that highlighted humanity’s self-destructive tendencies. The scene where the T-800 reveals his true nature to Dyson, supporting their warnings about Skynet, is also missing. These cuts seem to be for the sake of pacing, though budget constraints could also be a factor.

This is just one part of what makes Terminator 2D interesting. After finishing the main story, you can replay and make a single key choice that changes everything. What if Sarah Connor hadn’t reprogrammed the T-800 and instead told it to eliminate Miles Dyson? Or what if she’d killed Dyson herself instead of letting him live?

The game features several unique paths, including one where the T-800 brutally fights off police at Cyberdyne headquarters, ultimately leading to the iconic car destruction scene. It’s strangely jarring given the claim that there are “zero casualties” right after witnessing so much violence. This path is also the most extensive, taking you to a future timeline where Sarah Connor is fighting. You’ll also play as future John Connor at times, which cleverly connects to the past and introduces a variety of Skynet machines in challenging boss fights. I particularly appreciate how these levels introduce cover as an option, rather than a requirement. If you prefer a fast-paced approach and want to beat the game quickly by rolling or jumping over enemy fire – something John can do since he can’t easily crouch and avoid attacks like Sarah – feel free to do so.

I’ve focused a lot on how closely the game Terminator 2D follows the movie’s story. But how does it actually play? Surprisingly well! Some levels are simple runs where you blast enemies, but others have solid platforming challenges and different types of enemies, like security systems and various Terminators. I particularly enjoyed using actions like sliding to attack – you can kick explosive robots into enemies or deflect grenades to create breathing room.

Okay, so as someone who really cares about how things stay true to the source material, I have some issues with this adaptation. But honestly? It’s a blast! It plays a lot like an old-school arcade game, and it’s seriously addictive, especially when you crank up the difficulty. It’s not just about enemies getting tougher – they move faster, they’re way more aggressive, and they really push your reflexes. The platforming and boss fights get more complex too, with extra attacks thrown in. But it’s more than just getting good at timing and picking the right upgrades. You start to learn the levels – where everything is, how the enemies move. By the time I beat a difficulty without using continues and barely taking any damage, it feels incredible, like I’ve truly mastered it. It reminds me of that quote, “Are we learning yet?” – that’s exactly how it feels!

I have to say, as someone who loves classic run-and-gun games, Terminator 2D: No Fate is really good! It totally nails the feel of the original movie. Sure, there are a few things that could have been done better, maybe been a little more accurate to the film, but honestly, it’s so addictive. I keep coming back for ‘just one more run’ to try and perfect it, even with all its little imperfections. It’s just a really fun experience.

The game controls feel good overall, but the aiming button is a bit strange. Characters can aim in eight directions and crouch to dodge attacks. Aiming itself is smooth and works well, and it even makes sense that Sarah aims differently in the early missions, fitting both the story and gameplay. However, aiming directly downwards requires using the dedicated aim button first, which feels unnatural. You’re used to pressing down to crouch, and you can’t aim down while crouching, so it clashes with what you’ve learned. It can be a little frustrating, but thankfully, you only really need to aim downwards in one specific level, so it’s not a major problem.

Beyond the main Story Mode, you can enjoy Arcade Mode, where you replay any stage without the ability to continue or watch story cutscenes. For a real challenge, try Mother of the Future – it has no continues and requires you to finish all of Sarah’s missions within a strict time limit. This mode pushes you to play as efficiently as possible, and if you succeed, you’ll unlock the incredibly difficult Judgment Day mode.

Some players are questioning whether Terminator 2D‘s story offers enough playtime, and that’s understandable if you only play through the game once on the easiest difficulties. Enjoying the story and exploring the different future scenarios can be a good reason to play. But if you don’t plan on becoming skilled enough to beat the hardest difficulty, you might not feel the game is worth the price.

Despite a few imperfections and areas where it could have more closely followed the movie, Terminator 2D: No Fate is a fun, fast-paced sidescroller that really captures the spirit of the original film. It’s still incredibly satisfying to replay levels and try to perfect your run, even with its little quirks.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

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2025-12-16 13:14