What do you get if you mix a development studio with good experience in 2D games, a publisher that already has experience with games based on the Terminator universe, and add the plot of an iconic 90s classic like Terminator 2: Judgement Day by James Cameron? I’ll tell you: you probably get one of the best and most original ideas we’ve received in recent years, which you’ll no doubt play no matter what genres you like 🙂
We’re talking about Terminator 2D: NO FATE, developed by Bitmap Bureau (Final Vendetta – 2022) and published by Reef Entertainment (Terminator: Resistance – 2019), which is a direct adaptation of the 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day, by James Cameron, a science fiction film that, as we all know, became a cult classic and a contemporary pop culture icon. And what’s original about this idea? Well, I’d say everything, although to begin with I can mention its visual style: Terminator 2D: NO FATE, as the name implies, presents itself as an arcade-style game, similar to Contra or a metroidvania, fully side-scrolling and entirely in 2D. Can you imagine it? Don’t do it! Just watch the video below:
The Adaptation We Didn’t Know We Needed
This is the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day transformed into a retro pixel-art arcade from the 90s, with side-scrolling gameplay and the fluidity of today’s games. This adventure aims to combine iconic scenes that left a mark on us decades ago with new settings and sequences, including multiple endings. Terminator 2D: NO FATE invites us to experience the events of the second film in the saga, recreated in a glorious and respectful retro-futuristic way, since its aesthetic, which we’ve already mentioned, blends perfectly with modern gameplay standards.
In Terminator 2D: NO FATE we’ll be able to play as Sarah Connor, and as the epic T-800 in several exciting missions while we face off against or escape from the T-1000, and try to stop Skynet’s nefarious plans, in a final effort to prevent the human race from being annihilated. We’ll also have to lead the resistance in the future as John Connor, fighting fiercely on the front lines as humanity’s only hope in the War Against the Machines. Through both the iconic sequences that will feel so familiar from the 1991 movie, and the new and original settings with their multiple endings, the fate of humanity will literally be in our hands!
A Double Tribute
Terminator 2D: NO FATE proposes a tribute both to the iconic and already classic film Terminator 2: Judgement Day by James Cameron, and to 90s pop culture itself, presenting the story of this work that stayed with us so strongly as a classic-style arcade from those years, one that never came, one we needed, and maybe didn’t even know it XD … Okay, seriously, this tribute will be presented in various ways, for example through its cinematic soundtrack, which will obviously include recreated music from the film’s legendary original score.
And unlockable features couldn’t be left out. As we keep playing more and more and beating our own scores, we’ll unlock different game modes, Story, Arcade, Endless, Boss Rush, Mother of the Future, and more. All these things might make us wonder: is it possible for a 2D side-scrolling retro pixel-art game to be immersive? … Well… I think after reading the information we’re presenting here, and more importantly, after watching the video above for yourself, you’re more than ready to answer that one, right?
So…
Terminator 2D: NO FATE will premiere on September 4th, 2025, although the video says it’s on the 5th, for some reason I don’t know. Obviously you can already add it to your Wishlist on Steam and check the system requirements by clicking the links you’ll find, as always, at the bottom of this article. And while we wait, how about dropping by the comments and telling us what you thought of this original idea? You know gamer… come with me if you want to live!… I mean… we’ll be reading you! 😉
Images Source: PlayStation Official YouTube Channel, Terminator 2D: NO FATE on Steam
