By Jon Scarr
I’ve played a lot of Terminator games over the years, and if I’m being honest, most of them weren’t that good. Some felt stiff. Others tried to do too much and lost sight of what made the series interesting in the first place. Terminator 2D: No Fate takes a very different approach. This is a game that feels like it came straight out of the 16-bit era, and it commits to that idea fully.
What the game does right away is get out of your way. It is a 2D action game built around constant movement, fast shooting, and short stages that respect your time. You jump between familiar moments from Terminator 2 and a few new scenarios, swapping characters depending on the situation. The objective is always clear. Survive what’s in front of you and keep pushing forward.
What surprised me most was how quickly I settled into it. Within a few minutes, I was already reacting on instinct, reading enemy patterns, and adjusting my movement without thinking about it too much. There is no long buildup or overexplained tutorial stretch. You play, you mess up, and you try again.
Having grown up playing games in the 80s and 90s, this approach felt immediately familiar. The game does not try to modernize every part of its design or stretch things out. It sticks to its old-school structure, rough edges included, and lets the action do the talking. When it clicks, it delivers the kind of straightforward experience that feels very intentional.
Terminator 2D: No Fate Details
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Reviewed on: PS5
Developer: Bitmap Bureau
Publisher: Reef Entertainment
Genre: Arcade action, 2D side-scrolling action
Available game modes: Single player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+), Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Familiar Scenes With a Few New Twists
Terminator 2D: No Fate sticks close to the movie for most of its setup, using familiar scenes as a framework rather than trying to retell the entire story. You move through key moments that will be instantly recognizable if you know the film, alongside a few new sequences that expand things slightly without straying too far from the source.
Storytelling here is very straightforward. Brief text screens set the stage, then the game hands control back to you almost immediately. There are no long cutscenes and no voice acting. I actually appreciated how quickly it moves on. The story gives you just enough context to understand why you are there, then gets out of the way so the action can take over.
One of the more interesting ideas is the use of branching paths. At certain moments, you are given choices that hint at alternate scenes or different outcomes. On paper, this sounds more flexible than it ends up being. Most of those paths are locked behind repeat playthroughs, so your first run follows the main movie track pretty closely. I found that a bit frustrating at first, especially when the game teases choice and then pulls it back.
At the same time, I get why it works this way. Keeping the first playthrough focused makes the experience easier to follow and avoids overwhelming you with too many directions at once. Once you know the levels, those alternate routes start to feel more like bonuses than missed opportunities.
The story never takes centre stage, but it does its job. It supports the levels, sets the tone, and gives the action a clear purpose without slowing things down.
Old-School 16-Bit Arcade Action
At its heart, Terminator 2D: No Fate is about staying alive while everything on screen is trying to overwhelm you. Enemies rush in, shots come from different angles, and standing still for too long usually ends badly. It reminded me a lot of games like Contra and Metal Slug, where survival depends on movement and awareness more than raw firepower.
Shooting feels immediate and satisfying. Ammo is never a concern, so every encounter becomes about positioning, timing, and knowing when to commit. I found myself thinking about spacing the same way I used to in Contra, especially once enemies started piling up. Temporary weapon upgrades help during tougher stretches, but they are placed carefully and do not let you coast. You still have to stay sharp, or things fall apart fast.
The game also borrows that old-school habit of changing things up just enough to keep you on your toes. Most of the time you are locked into side-scrolling action, but other sections introduce vehicle chases or slower moments that force you to play more cautiously. Some of these ideas land better than others. The shooting-heavy sections are easily the strongest, while a short beat-em-up segment feels closer to an early experiment and not nearly as refined. Thankfully, those moments are brief.
What I appreciated most is how clear the feedback is. Enemy patterns are easy to pick up, restarts are fast, and deaths usually feel fair. When I went down, I almost always knew why. That trial-and-error loop feels straight out of the 16-bit era, and it makes replaying sections feel rewarding instead of frustrating.
Straight Out of the 16-Bit Era
Right away, Terminator 2D: No Fate looks like a game pulled straight from the 16-bit era. The pixel art is chunky, bold, and easy to read, even when things get hectic. Characters, enemies, and environments all follow the same visual style, so nothing ever feels out of place or unfinished.
Animations are clear and functional, which matters more than flashy detail in a game like this. That said, movement can feel a bit stiff at times, especially during quicker direction changes or landings. It never made the game frustrating for me, but it is something you notice once the action speeds up. It feels very true to how games from that era moved, for better and worse.
Level backgrounds do a nice job setting the scene without pulling your attention away from the action. Whether you are running through city areas, interior spaces, or future battle zones, everything stays readable. I never felt like the background was fighting me for attention, which helped during busier fights.
Performance stayed solid the whole time I played. Levels load quickly, restarts happen almost instantly, and nothing slowed me down when I was retrying a tough section. That fast turnaround makes experimenting and learning feel painless.
The sound design fits the game well. Weapons have a good punch to them, explosions feel satisfying, and audio cues make it easy to tell when danger is close. The music sits comfortably in the background, pushing the action forward without demanding attention. It supports the moment instead of trying to steal it.
Terminator 2D: No Fate Feels Right at Home in the 16-Bit Era
After spending time with Terminator 2D: No Fate, it feels like a game that knows exactly who it is trying to reach. It does not chase modern trends or try to stretch itself into something bigger than it needs to be. Instead, it focuses on tight 2D action, quick stages, and a structure built around replay and improvement.
There are parts that work better than others. The shooting-heavy sections are where the game shines, while a few side ideas feel less refined. Movement can feel stiff at times, and the overall length is short. If you are looking for a long, story-driven experience, this probably is not it.
What worked for me is how easy it was to jump in and play without friction. I could sit down for a short session, make progress, mess up, and try again without feeling like the game was wasting my time. That loop felt familiar in the best way, especially coming from someone who grew up playing games in the 80s and 90s.
Terminator 2D: No Fate is not a game you play once and forget. It rewards patience, pattern learning, and repeat runs. If you enjoy old-school run-and-gun action and do not mind a few rough edges along the way, there is a lot here to appreciate.
Terminator 2D: No Fate Review Summary
Liked
- Old-school 16-bit energy that feels true to the era
- Fast shooting and constant movement keep the action tight
- Variety in level types helps break up the run-and-gun
- Clear patterns and fair deaths make retries feel worthwhile
- Punchy sound effects that sell every weapon hit
Didn't Like
- - Movement can feel stiff during fast direction changes
- - The beat-em-up section is weaker than the shooting segments
- - Branching paths get teased, but you cannot fully follow them on the first run
- - Short length may not work for everyone
- - Replay structure can feel restrictive early on
Overall Assessment of Terminator 2D: No Fate
Gameplay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Presentation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
Story: ⭐⭐⭐½☆ (3.5 / 5)
Fun Factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Overall Value: ⭐⭐⭐½☆ (3.5 / 5)