You may be able to complete Terminator 2D: No Fate's story mode in less than the movie's runtime, but that doesn't stop this side-scrolling platformer from being a beautifully rendered homage to '90s nostalgia.
Terminator 2D: No Fate's story mode begins with a shot of a rolling section of asphalt, its yellow center lines endlessly scrolling at regular intervals, while moody industrial music plays behind it. This sight should be familiar to any Terminator 2: Judgment Day fan, as it is similar, but not identical, to the final scene of the film's theatrical release. The accompanying monologue is also different: it is delivered in the game using blocks of text rather than Sarah Connor's signature whisper from the film.
In the film, this scene neatly ties the story together with the lessons learned, offering the viewer a hopeful glimpse of a better future. But at the beginning of No Fate, much of the exposition tells us about the horrors that await us during Judgment Day and beyond, setting up the events of the game that follows. Despite the differences, it feels incredibly authentic to the atmosphere of James Cameron's hard-hitting action thriller, instantly tapping into a vein of T2 nostalgia, while being handled differently enough to give the game its own unique flavor. In a nutshell, that's Terminator 2D: No Fate. It's incredibly faithful to the source material, but isn't afraid to mix it up a little or add unexpected alternatives to better suit the gameplay.
Bitmap Bureau's Terminator 2D: No Fate isn't just a love letter to one of the greatest films ever made, it's also a tribute to '90s gaming, Super Nintendo side-scrollers and arcade action games. People who lived through this era will immediately notice the similarities between No Fate and the Contra/Probotector series, as you run from left to right, shooting enemies and occasionally jumping up or down on different parts of the landscape, but there are other influences from that time period too. The tutorial level, an entirely new scene not found in the film, begins with a homage to Double Dragon as John Connor is punched in the stomach and then thrown over the muscled bad guy's shoulder.
Later in the same level, enemies lean out of windows and shoot at Sarah, and you, unable to shoot in any direction other than horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, must position her in the right position to destroy them – just like in the RoboCop arcades and home computer games of the late '80s. There are side-by-side vehicle chase scenes where you have to watch the edges of the screen for approaching obstacles. To Battletoad's frustrating Turbo Tunnel level (although it's nowhere near as annoying in No Fate) and Double Dragon's heavy elbow also make an appearance, albeit in the form of a backhand from Arnie during the game's great bar level.
Getting back to the Contra comparisons, No Fate's Future War's levels, where you play as a grizzled John Connor, are heavily inspired by Konami's action series. There's the very familiar defensive wall boss, a weapon pick-up that gives you things like split shot fire or homing plasma bolts, and even a faux Mode 7 set that has an HK bomber fly onto the screen and napalm the ground. These levels create fun throwbacks to past games, while also adding a few simple additions that should satisfy those with more modern appetites, such as the ability to hide behind walls or run away from danger. However, once the heady buzz from the bouquet of memorable berries subsides, you soon realize that these sections are the weakest parts of the package.
You see, No Fate is at its best when it tries something new. If it's not just a simple Contra clone, it takes scenes from the film itself and turns them into playable moments that not only reflect the events of the film, but also complement them in interesting ways. The famous bar fight where a naked Arnold asks for clothes, boots and a motorcycle is a good example, as the scene widens out slightly and momentarily turns the game from a shooter into a beat-'em-up, complete with a cheeky jukebox-based musical Easter egg. Another highlight is Sarah's escape attempt from the Pescadaro hospital, where she is mercilessly pursued by the T-1000. This level briefly turns No Fate into a stealth game that somehow manages to be incredibly tense. And there are a couple of jump scares, although they are all presented as big, fat pixels.
And what pixels are these? No Fate's retro aesthetic is great, combining old-school digitized footage for cutscenes between levels and stunningly animated sprites during the actual gameplay. Key ones include the way Sarah's body sways from side to side due to the momentum caused by jumping up and onto the steps of the stairs, or the start of the aforementioned hospital escape level where the T-1000 kills and then copies a coffee-drinking hospital guard. However, of the countless examples I could mention, my favorite is the way the T-1000 staggers back when Sarah fires a shotgun at it.
The fluidity of this character's animation embodies Robert Patrick's cold, calculating performance from the films to the T-shirt. It's truly chilling to see him pop out of the wall in front of you in the Steelworks level and then transform into the iconic cop disguise. It reminded me of the feeling of helplessness and fear that ran through my body when I first watched the film. The same goes for the staggering animation when Sarah fires a shotgun into his chest, but this time the fear is replaced by a sense of brutality as his shoulder is thrown back by buckshot and silver pockmarks appear on his torso. Yes, Sarah! You've got this! This game translates the most epic moments of Doomsday into pixelated form so perfectly that it's a shame it was so short-lived.
Obviously, what you'd expect from a 90s-style side-scrolling shooter is concise levels and a short story. There weren't as many 90+ hour games back then as there are now, that's for sure, but you can beat the entire story mode in under an hour and unlock everything in the main menu in under three. This design choice is in keeping with old-school arcade games that had to be completed in one sitting, and just like then, there is no option to save mid-game and continue playing later. The brevity of this experience is good if you're planning on doing multiple playthroughs, but if you're alone and a completed person, you may feel a little unsatisfied when the credits roll.
However, there are several incentives here designed to encourage you to replay the game. Aside from the four different difficulty levels or attempts to beat your previous scores or scores, there are also two alternate endings to aim for, a couple of extra levels to beat, a cheat menu that can be accessed by beating the game on the hardest settings, and there are even modes like Boss Rush and Infinite Enemies that can be unlocked, although it's doubtful those two will hold people's attention for long. Arcade mode and unlockable Mother of the Future modes add additional challenges by removing continues and changing the order of levels slightly, but at heart they are all still the same game.
Luckily, each level includes a wide variety of hazards, making the game fast-paced and interesting. The Future Wars levels have a huge selection of metal monsters to fight, including Hunter-Killers, Centurions and, of course, a couple of different types of Terminators, while the levels set in 1995 feature more traditional platformer hazards to avoid, such as super-hot steam vents, timed lasers and even some of those squishy piston things. None of these obstacles are terribly difficult to get around, especially once you've played through each level a couple of times and memorized their locations, but there are enough of them to cause some concern about the health and safety standards of the time. I'm not sure what Cyberdyne was thinking when they built their building, but if you ask me, the flame-spitting exhaust vents on the stairs seem like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
It's clear that Bitmap Bureau has great love and respect for not only the source material, but also the release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and that makes Terminator 2D: No Fate an absolute treat for gamers who grew up in the '90s. With sounds and visuals that will transport you back to when you first watched the best parts of the movie, and gameplay that will remind you of wired controllers and inserting coins and cartridges, No Fate is something of a time machine in itself. Although, fortunately, this is not the case where a naked man will travel back in time to kill you. Despite the very short lifespan, which may put some off, I'll be back for at least a couple more playthroughs before the end of the year, so recommending it to you is a no-brainer.
A copy of Terminator 2D: No Fate was provided for this review by Reef Entertainment.
