On April 3, 2006, millions of digital horses were clad in armor. Survivors of this phenomenon have referred to the purchase of downloadable content as a “microtransaction.” They lived only to face new nightmares: season passes, live service models, always-on online single-player, loot boxes, pay-to-win, “release now, fix later” patches and more. Make no mistake, the team at Bitmap Bureau, the developer of Terminator 2D: No Fate, has seen this future, and they clearly don't like it. In summary, Terminator 2D is an unapologetically nostalgic side-scroller, specifically designed to take players straight back to the 16-bit era of the 90s to experience the greatest T2 game we've never played. Extremely short by modern standards, but filled with love for James Cameron's undisputed sci-fi classic, Terminator 2D is part time machine, part freakishly awesome film. In a crazy world, this is the smartest choice.
Successfully completing Terminator 2D's main story mode, which follows the events of T2, with several extended distractions, takes approximately an hour. However, it took me several tries to achieve this. Admittedly, this is incredibly small by modern standards, but it is nonetheless consistent with an era where the game's perceived size was greatly inflated by the number of times you had to play through almost the entire game to reach the end.
This philosophy seems pretty firmly embedded in Terminator 2D, and while I no longer have the time, patience, or sugar-enhanced reflexes of an unemployed 12-year-old, I respect the format. Of course, replaying my sequels about an encounter I didn't quite immediately understand was frustrating, and having to start all over again is never fun. However, getting through the tough sections that frustrated me in previous playthroughs is certainly rewarding. I just wish you wouldn't limit yourself to accumulating a maximum of nine continues. Whenever you have nine points in the bank, any additional points you collect are converted into bonus points. Failing at the last level hurts a little more, knowing that I could have easily given it a few more tries.
Are we already learning?
Due to Terminator 2D's modest length, I'm hesitant to go into too much detail about how and when it changes various mechanics, because becoming familiar with these things and learning them for yourself is really part of the process. I will say, however, that Terminator 2D doesn't stay in the same place as a single-speed side-scroller, and there are changes to it that usually require a slight adjustment to your approach. That is, one moment you could be cutting a plasma-charged path through a Skynet-ravaged future in an overtly Contra-action-inspired section, and the next moment you're making your way through the state hospital for the mentally ill in Pescadero, operating in light stealth and hiding from a T-1000. This level loses tension on subsequent visits due to its scripted nature, but the tension was palpable the first time through the excellent use of T2's original music and the tendency of the deadly T-1000 to appear out of nowhere.
T2's music is actually used to incredible effect throughout. Essentially, it does all the hard work of creating atmosphere in the absence of voice acting, with dialogue delivered through on-screen text. The power metal version of T2's main theme is a major highlight, and the biker bar features stunningly crafted licensed music that had me grinning like a cybernetic organism in a well-stocked weapons bunker – just remember to hit the jukebox.
Luckily, Terminator 2D is as enjoyable to watch as it is to listen to. Its pixel art isn't just brilliantly beautiful; it's also superbly animated. It oozes character at every opportunity, from the way the T-800 disdainfully tosses a hapless biker onto a burning grill, to Sarah's desperate backtracking in the shadow of her worst nightmare, to the final movements of the T-1000 making its final shape changes in a pool of molten metal.
Now I know why you cry
My biggest disappointment overall is the surprising lack of scenes with the T-800, resulting in an unfortunately limited time in the Terminator game as the Terminator himself. When playing the main storyline, which is the one that follows the movie exactly, you will only play as the T-800 during the shelling of the biker bar and the chase through the canal. It's true that, in the spirit of the movie, the Bitmap Bureau can't simply turn the T-800 into a weapon of mass destruction. After all, as we all know, John has strict instructions not to kill anyone. As often as there are tie-ins from 90s films that go beyond the scope (including the current company), it would be quite ridiculous to have the Terminator randomly kill his way through several levels.
However, it feels like there are some missed opportunities here. For example, the Beat 'Em Up gameplay in the biker bar could very logically appear again in, say, the mall level where the T-800 was forced to call some security for the first time on the way to meet John. This could have been made worse by the T-800 firing at the T-1000 with its shotgun. As it stands, this iconic encounter occurs in a brief shot before a motorcycle chase, without any gameplay associated with it. It feels like it's forgotten considering how monumental the moment is in the context of the film.
It's also strange that the T-800 blowing up police cars built outside of Cyberdyne Systems is only a game part of a run designed for one of Terminator 2D's alternate endings. We don't really get this in the regular canon release. Even stranger, the T-800 is a passenger in the entire final showdown at the steel mill with the T-1000. You can see the battle between them as you make your way through the area as Sarah – and the part of the slug you can watches do contains amazing fan service, but I think it would be cool to participate in this. I'm not sure if the slight relegation of the T-800 to the background has to do with the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger's character isn't actually present in Terminator 2D, while Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong and Michael Edwards are.
The T-800 does get some minigun capabilities if you play around with the decision options that unlock after completing the main story for the first time. These decisions set the story on a bifurcated path toward new endings tailor-made for Terminator 2D. It's an interesting twist, and these paths lead to different riffs on previously completed levels, but I wouldn't say they speed things up much.
Completing these other paths is key to unlocking several bonus modes, such as “Boss Rush” and one dubbed “Mother of the Future” (which focuses solely on Sarah). However, these are really just slightly tweaked ways of repeating the same game – something I've done many times before just by browsing the story mode. There's also an “Arcade Mode” which looks like a story mode. without continues. I'm not interested in that at all, and I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to imitate. Going to the arcade with a hole in your pocket?
Either way, T2 is already a perfect movie with a perfect ending, so any subversion of it would naturally be pretty unsatisfying in comparison (which is a lesson I thought we all learned after watching the first five minutes of Terminator: Dark Fate).
