Terminator 2D: NO FATE - Reviews Thread

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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Game Information

Game Title: Terminator 2D: NO FATE

Platforms:
  • Xbox Series X/S (Dec 12, 2025)
  • Nintendo Switch 2 (Dec 12, 2025)
  • PlayStation 5 (Dec 12, 2025)
  • Nintendo Switch (Dec 12, 2025)
  • PC (Dec 12, 2025)
  • Xbox One (Dec 12, 2025)
  • PlayStation 4 (Dec 12, 2025)
Trailer:
Developer: Bitmap Bureau

Publisher: Reef Entertainment Ltd

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 78 average - 57% recommended
Metacritic - Not enough reviews to aggregate yet


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Critic Reviews


COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 75 / 100
Quote not yet available


ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 8.5 / 10
illed with variety and memorable stages that allow you to relive the best parts of the film, Terminator 2D: No Fate winds up being a blast from start to finish.


ProjectN - Carlos de Arruda - Portuguese - 87%
Terminator 2D: No Fate is a love letter to arcades and a sincere tribute to one of the greatest action classics in cinema. Without trying to reinvent the wheel, the game delivers pure fun, precise challenges, and a delightful dive into nostalgia. Its retro visuals and creative expansion of the story captivate both veteran players and newcomers alike. Despite a few dated elements, the overall experience is engaging and highly satisfying. A worthy return to the style that defined generations.


Push Square - John Hansen - 8 / 10
Terminator 2D: No Fate is a nostalgic throwback to the time when Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released, and it feels very authentic to that. The shooting and action carry this game, making it feel like it was a tie-in released alongside the movie, but the short length and repetitive nature of it may weigh on some people and cause some questioning of its price tag. Regardless, even if you have never watched any of the Terminator movies, you may come away enjoying what this game is in its short spurts.


TheSixthAxis - Tuffcub - 8 / 10
A classic 90's film turned in a classic 90's side scrolling shooter, with a few lashings of modern techniques, what's not to love?


Twisted Voxel - Ali Haider - 7 / 10
Terminator 2D: NO FATE nails the 16-bit aesthetic and musical nostalgia of Judgment Day with authentic grit. However, its fleeting runtime, silent cutscenes, and steep price point make this a brief nostalgia trip best reserved for die-hard fans rather than general action enthusiasts.


XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 7.5 / 10
Terminator 2D: NO FATE is a gorgeous, fun time, with all the positives and negatives of 90s arcade games. The inclusion of alternate story paths helps the title from feeling too repetitive. Any fan of the franchise would do well to check this one out.
 
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Pretty much what I expected. I'm not too worried about the runtime. With multiple small children, I'm not exactly getting time to dive into long ass games. Takes me several months to get a 12-hour game done these days.
 
Bout as expected. Around an 8/10

Should be a fun little old school 2D romp

Also apparently has the OG soundtrack and does many faithful scene by scene recreations.

Replay ability is also a thing, so that is nice. "Mix things up with multiple different game modes to unlock and choose from: Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Infinite Mode, Boss Rush, Mother of the Future and Level Training!"
 
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Just watched this and liked what I saw...


Definitely feels like a fun 8/10 experience. If you loved the movie, you'll likely enjoy this.

The OST sounds great!
 
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I mean it looks good for what it is. I cancelled my pre-order though because I just can't justify for the price because of the run time. And also you need to beat it in one sitting apparently just like old school games as there are no save states. And the game is only an hour long or less. A few beat it in 45 minutes. Very expensive for $60 for standard and $130 after taxes for the CE. Will grab at a discount.
 
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As much as I love Terminator 2, and this game looking cool as fuck, I canceled my pre-order. I'm not paying 60 dollars for one hour game. It should've been 30, max 40.
 
Yeah, if there's one criticism, the physical edition is way too expensive for what this is.

Some of the reviews say you can beat the campaign in 45 to 90 minutes.
 
Yeah, if there's one criticism, the physical edition is way too expensive for what this is.

Some of the reviews say you can beat the campaign in 45 to 90 minutes.
Apparently there is a speed runner cheevo for beating "arcade mode" in 15 mins

But I still say it's got tons of replay ability and super difficult modes and such

I would say digitally, it is priced right.
 


The long awaited retro inspired action platformer Terminator 2D: No Fate is finally here, but has it been worth the wait? Find out in this Terminator 2D: No Fate review that talks about the the moments in Terminator 2D: No Fate gameplay that are inspired by the Terminator 2: Judgement Day movie, the perfect pixellated Terminator 2D: No Fate graphics and how long to complete Terminator 2D: No Fate.

Terminator 2D: No Fate is out now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
 
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Yeah, the repeated delays kinda dulled my enthusiasm and hearing about how short it is vs the price I'm also just going to wait to pick it up.
 
I mean it looks good for what it is. I cancelled my pre-order though because I just can't justify for the price because of the run time. And also you need to beat it in one sitting apparently just like old school games as there are no save states. And the game is only an hour long or less. A few beat it in 45 minutes. Very expensive for $60 for standard and $130 after taxes for the CE. Will grab at a discount.
It's $30 on steam (actually, $26 with a price cut)
 
I reckon instead of this franchise, they should have looked at AVP, or Rambo, hell Terminator v Robocop would have been better, as we all know the ending to the T2 movie near 40 years on...not as if this is the director's cut
 
I'm actually very interested in this one. Really liked the idea of going 2D-Contra like following the movies scenes. Waiting for a deal and I'll probably get it.
 
I really love the quality of 2D games we are getting in 2025. It's great to see a legendary amiga talent still doing amazing work.

Terminator No Fate is no exceptiom, extremely well done. The music and small touches throughout, so good. One of my favourite movies of all time, the game does not disappointment. Aliens next please!
 
Complaining about price and length for a game like this is silly. That's why we can't get good games that aren't bloated to the fucking gills anymore.

There's a difference between "bloated to the fucking gills" vs being 2 hours long, c'mon Danny...

Some might say "remember those 2 hour games on the mega drive and super Nintendo which used to cost $60?" well, this isn't the 90's anymore.
 
There's a difference between "bloated to the fucking gills" vs being 2 hours long, c'mon Danny...

Some might say "remember those 2 hour games on the mega drive and super Nintendo which used to cost $60?" well, this isn't the 90's anymore.

Yes, but if that's a really expertly crafted two hours with no repeated content, an onslaught of unique challenges and art, and a gameplay loop that genuinely incentivizes replay to git gud, I think that's entirely valid. While not always the case, of course, less can often be more with these types of games - tight design and highly-focused gameplay is kind of a lost art... and I'm genuinely not saying that "cuz that's how the '90s rolled."

I'm not saying that this game hit the mark as far as all of that goes - I haven't played it, so I have no idea. But at least on the surface, I don't see any of this as a negative, necessarily.
 
I played through it in a little over an hour. The game is very polished and the presentation is incredible. I have no complaints with the gameplay either. It does a good job of mixing things up and the pacing is fast. Almost to the point that the levels feel too short. $30 seems steep for a game like this, but there's alternate story paths you can choose after you finish the story mode that change the outcome and I assume the levels. This at least extends the game a bit. It is over quickly, but what's here is fucking awesome. Highly recommended.
 
Costs the same, or even less in some theaters, as seeing a movie of the same length.
Im buying a game, not experiencing a movie. We can make 100 examples what you can get for $30....I can go out for dinner for $30 with friends and have fun, I can drink 6 beers and piss them all out the same evening etc. It doesnt change the fact that in a pool of video games that last 20-30 hours for $60, I aint paying half of that for 1:37min experience. Since when do we buy games to experience it so quickly and just move on to something else?
 
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Played it for nearly and hour and was instantly bored. To think I was near the end of the game by that time! Lol

Fortunately I didn't have to pay for it.

It looks cool but in reality gaming has moved on.

Would have made a great meteoidvania.
 
This campaign can be beaten in 30 minutes, there's a difference between that and not being bloated.
That depens. Maybe is 30 minutes if you're not playing it blind anymore and you got really good (I haven't played so I don't know). Just like a lot of games of 8/16 bits. If it's like that, I doubt it can be beaten in 30 minutes the first time. In another words, the length based on the challenge.
 
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That depens. Maybe is 30 minutes if you're not playing it blind anymore. Just like a lot of games of 8/16 bits. If it's like that, I doubt it can be beaten in 30 minutes the first time.

Yeah, the review I read said he took close to an hour the first time, but he died on the last boss. He went again, and finished it in under 30 minutes. I guess that's really 90 minutes of play time, but yeah.
 


I can see some criticizing the playtime of Terminator 2D's story, which makes sense if you're only doing a singular playthrough on Easy Money (the lowest difficulty) and No Problemo (the Normal difficulty, which is still pretty easy for platforming veterans). Re-experiencing the core of the storyline and the unique future scenarios could serve as your primary motivator. However, if you're not keen on actually mastering the game to one day conquer Judgment Day difficulty, then I can see value for money being an issue.

Nevertheless, as a run-and-gun sidescroller that captures the essence of the classic, Terminator 2D: No Fate comes recommended. Some aspects certainly could've been better or more faithful to the film, and yet, jumping back in to achieve that perfect run still feels extremely satisfying, quirks and all.
 
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only the final stage is hard, which is at odds with the rest. The rest is very easy (on Normal). You'll beat it in an hour and there is replay value with 2 branching paths.

Now the issues; I find only the future war levels fun to replay. The hospital and bomb placing levels are boring as shit the second time.

But make no mistake, there is some real fan service here. Ever wanted to beat up bikers with naked Arnie in the bar? Or shoot the cop cars with the minigun? Its here.
 
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Yeah my hype has deflated a bit, especially after hearing that some of Arnie's scenes are either missing or too basic. The game seems to focus a lot more on John & Sarah.

Will wait for a sale given how much it costs (even digital, physical edition's price is even more insane).
 
I wanted to buy this game on release badly. But I'm afraid I'll wait for a sale. I didn't expect a long game, but the developer didn't understand much the old school philosophy if they made a short game without any of the challenge of its inspirations. And costing 30€ doesn't help.
 
I am a big Terminator fan and if I hadn't bought it already I probably would rethink it.

Its really short and really easy. It does cover the movie but far shorter than the movie itself. Its a typical 10 bucks game. The only thing left for me is the execute option with Sarah, and finish the boss rush (which is kind of cool). But replaying it means also replaying placing bombs, escaping the hospital, doing the quite limited but very cool OST laden belt action bar brawl. And the branch out stages aren't that special so far (there is more T800 gameplay though).

The game feels a lot like those movie licensed Super Nintendo/Genesis games, with the same length to match but far easier. It reminds me of Jurassic Park: Rampage.
 
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I am a big Terminator fan and if I hadn't bought it already I probably would rethink it.

Its really short and really easy. It does cover the movie but far shorter than the movie itself. Its a typical 10 bucks game. The only thing left for me is the execute option with Sarah, and finish the boss rush (which is kind of cool). But replaying it means also replaying placing bombs, escaping the hospital, doing the quite limited but very cool OST laden belt action bar brawl. And the branch out stages aren't that special so far (there is more T800 gameplay though).

The game feels a lot like those movie licensed Super Nintendo/Genesis games, with the same length to match but far easier. It reminds me of Jurassic Park: Rampage.

Thanks man.

Well, general consensus appears to be that while good, it's definitely not worth its asking price.

When you have games like Silksong releasing at 20 Eurodollars that last for 30+ hours, the new Prince of Persia that could theoretically last an infinite time due to its rogue like nature, the 30 Eurodollars pricetag is a BIG ask for a linear, 1 hour game ffs...
Yes, there's licensing involved obviously (which costs), but, that isn't the consumer's problem.

I'm an 80s kid but, IMO, nostalgia can only take you so far...

Gonna grab this when it's down to 10 Eurodollars tops, sorry...
 
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