Terminator 2D: NO FATE Review – The Arcade Action Game We Dreamed of in the 90s
Fans of classics and old-timers were pleased with a project based on everyone's favorite and beloved film – Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Players will be able to relive the epic scenes from the movie and take direct part in them. What turned out to be the game adaptation that everyone has been waiting for so long – read in our review!
Cyborg Assassin
And the machines rose from the ashes of nuclear fire. And the war began to destroy humanity. And it lasted for decades. But the last one will not take place in the future. It will take place here, in our time. Tonight.
Once, a 28-year-old boy had a nightmare where he was being chased by an evil robot. The boy turned out to be a director named James Cameron, who used the nightmare to create the Terminator universe.
The events of the films tell an alternate history of Earth. An evil AI called Skynet orchestrated a nuclear war in which 3 billion people died. The survivors suffered for a long time under the tyranny of machines, until a leader named John Connor appeared and led the people to war against their enslavers. The driving force of the films is the attempt by machines to send terminators of various models into the past to eliminate John Connor's parents or himself in his youth. Members of the resistance used a time machine to prevent the machines from succeeding.
Viewers were delighted with the story, the dark atmosphere of the universe, and the scenes that became iconic. Most of all, people liked Arnold Schwarzenegger's role, who played the T-800 model terminator. This reaction is understandable, because "Iron Arnie" inspired many young people to visit gyms, where they hoped to build the same muscles as their idol.
The events of Terminator 2D: NO FATE are based on the movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day". With the help of pixel graphics, the developers carefully transferred the images of actors Robert Patrick, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong, who played T-1000, Sarah Connor, and young John Connor, through portraits and in-game models. The locations and many minor actors were also transferred. Alas, you won't be able to see Arnie himself – apparently the developers failed to obtain permission to use the actor's image.
War in the Present and Future
The developers not only transferred the events occurring in the film to the game, but also came up with their own. In the first level, John is kidnapped by bandits, who must be shot while playing as Sarah. Then Sarah storms "Cyberdyne Systems" in order to prevent Skynet from being created. But she is arrested and placed in a psychiatric hospital.
After that, the events of the film begin, where the player must escape from the T-1000 on a motorcycle, or storm the Cyberdyne building again. At the same time, you need to take part in the war of the future, where John Connor deals with machines. There is also a stealth level – in it you need to help Sarah escape from the psychiatric hospital and simultaneously avoid attacks from the T-1000.
The gameplay is implemented as controlling a character who can run, roll, and shoot. Everything seems simple, but there are nuances:
- You can shoot in eight directions, not wherever you want;
- Rolls give frames of invulnerability, which saves in many situations;
- First-aid kits not only restore health, but also save progress – in case of death, you return to the place where you picked up the first-aid kit. If you use a first-aid kit with full health, its maximum supply will increase;
- Machines are more tenacious than people, which corresponds to logic;
- If you fall into molten metal or get caught by the T-1000, a unique death animation will be shown.
Playable characters have unique differences:
- Sarah Connor is able to fight in close combat, but cannot shoot on the move. She starts levels with a pistol, but more impressive weapons can be found in secret places;
- Instead of close combat, John Connor throws grenades, and at the same time he can shoot on the move. Picking up improvements temporarily makes the projectiles homing, or passing through obstacles;
- T-800 has huge health, which is compensated by clumsiness. During a brawl in a bar, his opponents are so insignificant that missed hits do not take away lives, but the time allotted for completing the level.
During the passage, you have to put up with the crookedness and strange design of the game. Many opponents are located in such a way that it is almost impossible to pass by them without taking damage.
The curvature is compensated by pleasant details:
- Jumping on an enemy kills him – a similar effect can be achieved if you drop one enemy on another;
- Some enemies can be used as a human shield;
- T-800 is able to deflect grenades with a minigun;
- There are secrets with pleasant bonuses on the levels.
Variety of Content
The enjoyment of the passage is influenced by the selected level of difficulty. On easy, you can make as many mistakes as you like – repetitions are given an infinite number of times. With increasing difficulty, repetitions become finite, a timer appears, new enemies are added, the health and attack speed of opponents increases, and bosses have new types of attacks. The average completion time at the "normal" level of difficulty is 40 minutes. If you spend all the repetitions, you will have to start the passage again.
After the first passage, it becomes possible to make a choice in some places – in fact, these are forks with new levels. An additional difference is that in the future you need to control not John, but Sarah. Alas, the characters differ only in appearance – Sarah of the future has similar skills to John of the future.
Passing forks opens the boss battle mode, where you need to defeat all the bosses encountered in the future. In the "endless mode" you need to shoot waves of enemies for a long and tedious time, and "mother of the future" is the opportunity to play as Sarah from the future without passing the remaining levels.
Diagnosis
First of all, Terminator 2D: NO FATE is designed to indulge the feelings of fans of classic films. You need to run it in order to take personal part in the events familiar from youth. You can also shed a stingy tear in moments when T-800 will play with young John, or T-1000 will wag his finger at Sarah.
If the game is interested in gameplay, then it should be perceived as a classic arcade from Sega MegaDrive or Super Nintendo. It is designed so that it can be quickly completed. After that, it remains only to test yourself by increasing the difficulty, earning additional points, searching for secrets and studying additional modes.
