Terminator 2D: No Fate is as close to a retro experience as you’ll probably get in this current “old is new” trend. It’s such an oddity, pulling from an extremely specific time in its aesthetics and feel, while unfortunately falling into the trappings of the time.
It’s as if the game has dropped right out of 1991, as Arnold did in Terminator 2. No Fate is quite literally a lost-in-time Amiga game. With its impeccable attention to detail, brutal spikes in difficulty, and rare enthusiasm, Terminator 2D is a seriously good time.
No Fate is also a seriously short time. This game isn’t here to stick around, and what you see is what you get. There are some moments where it adds a wrinkle to the classic sidescrolling shooter tropes, but it’s all at a blistering pace. However, it’ll ultimately depend on how much you liked your first couple run throughs as to whether you’ll stick it out further than seeing the now-unlocked alternate paths.
Terminator 2D is a Throwback in the Best and Worst Ways
Now, the game itself is rad. It’s fast, but not too unforgiving, and is designed to keep you moving. No Fate has you bobbing in and out of different periods of time, through different characters. There’s Sarah Connor, Arnie himself as the T-800, and John Connor in the future. Sarah’s sections are a little more grounded, often tackling guards and police. It’ll then switch to John, which plays like a refined version of the Amiga’s Turrican games.
The T-800 is probably the most different of the lot. How does a regular person “kill” a Terminator? Instead of health, any damage taken is time off the clock. Each level has a timer, contributing to that swift pace.
A lot of the game is back to the old tradition of remembering patterns or finding that one particular method in a boss fight. The game is never particularly difficult on default settings, but at some points it becomes a bit of a pushover. One boss that doesn’t move but spawns lasers for you to dodge was simply taken down by launching every grenade I’d forgotten to use in the preceding level.
Some fights became more of an annoyance on repeat runs. During some John sections, you’ll be forced to use a cover system that just never quite feels in time with the rest of the game. It’s especially irritating when it feels like it is designed to shoot precisely when I pop out of cover.
Terminator 2D Play Time is Far Too Short
It’s those small additions, like taking cover or hiding in the asylum as Sarah Connor. The game casually switches genres all in aid of recreating Terminator 2 to the best of the limited ability the game has given itself. The team at Bitmap Bureau No Fate knows exactly what moments and scenes to bring into the fold, as well as giving us a little more time in that dark future.
Some of these are just one-off levels, like the truck chase. The entire driving mechanics are used for about two minutes of gameplay. While the core game is moving left or right to shoot down enemies, when Terminator 2D flexes its creative muscles, it’s got me asking for even just a drop more.
I think the “bit” of being a truly dedicated game to Terminator 2 is worth applause, but it also hamstrings it a little bit. Yes, Terminator 2 is the most beloved of the bunch, but I want to see the chase mechanics introduced briefly in the asylum level, maybe being used for a recreation of the Terminator versus Sarah Connor in the original. There are so many moments or movies to pull from… actually, maybe it’s best to just complain that there’s not a whiff of Terminator 1 in the game.
Should You Get Terminator 2D: No Fate?
Once I saw the credits once and went back for another round, I was left wanting just a little more. I know this will be a game that’ll permanently remain installed on my Steam Deck, as it’s just far too easy to pick up and play. However, my brain is wired exactly into what No Fate is, which is a close-to-the-bones recreation of an old video game. Through and through. Go and read some old Amiga reviews or even other 16-bit game reviews, and notice how many of them talk about replayability and cost.
If those are discussions you have with yourself when purchasing games, I think you should reconsider Terminator 2D: No Fate. The game isn’t bad in the slightest; it’s not a quality thing. It is solely that this style of game has brought up conversations around its pricing and how much game is actually in there.
This is, hopefully, the beginning of a side scroller retro revival because it was an incredibly enjoyable hit of nostalgia, albeit short and snappy.
Terminator 2D: No Fate heavily relies on you, as a player, to consider replaying the same loop of levels over and over. It’s why I found the story mode to be frustrating. You’ll have to make a complete run through the game on the batch of lives you get given and find in the levels. There’s no picking up from where you died, because really, the arcade mode is where skill should come into play.
Being dumped right at the beginning of the game was a throwback I wasn’t expecting. However, the game is short enough that being careful on the way back to a late level wasn’t all that time-consuming.
Closing Thoughts
Terminator 2D: No Fate is that love letter game to a movie nearly everyone likes. Everything from the moments the developers have chosen to adapt, to the way it plays, it feels as if it could have existed alongside its premiere in 1991.
That just comes with the huge caveat that this style of game does not care if you want to continue from where you died. Suck it up, get back to it. If you’re not in the market for a game that’ll take you an hour, but potentially suck up more time after if you dig what it did, stay away. If you’re after a flavor of game not really done anymore, there’s worse ways to spend an afternoon.
3/5
| Terminator 2D: No Fate | |
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent throwback | Incredibly short |
| Looks great all the way through | If you’re not into high scores and the same set of levels, this isn’t for you |
| Really captures those iconic moments | Can be frustrating at some points |
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox One, Series X, Y, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Bitmap Bureau
Publisher: Reef Entertainment
Release date: 12 Dec, 2025
Meta:
A retro throwback of time-traveling proportions in Terminator 2D: No Fate, a game that feels as if it has been sent back in time from 1991.
