Terminator 2D: No Fate was announced out of nowhere earlier in the year, and as far as retro-inspired titles go, it’s looking like a very strong one — and this new gameplay trailer just cements that.
Featured exclusively via IGN, the four-minute gameplay video is narrated by lead designer Mike Tucker, and shows off John Connor in the future fight against Skynet. Take a look:
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Tucker name-drops many old school classics serving as inspiration for the gameplay — Contra, Rolling Thunder, Shinobi, ESWAT, Elevator Action Returns, and Metal Slug.
John Connor is just one of three playable characters in the game, and you’ll move between all of them as you go through the story. His sections look like your typical run-and-gun action levels, but as pointed out, he has a powerful bomb he can throw at enemies, a dodge roll, and can take cover at certain spots.
Tucker says the majority of the game will be these run-and-gun stages, but there are some other levels to mix things up, like vehicle-based sections and a beat-’em-up brawl based in the biker bar.
While John’s stages take place in the future war, Sarah Connor’s levels are set in the 90s as she takes the fight to Cyberdyne. Sarah swaps out John’s pipe bomb for a melee attack, and instead of a dodge roll, she slides along the ground.
It looks like some levels will feature plenty of bosses to take down, such as the huge Centurion mech.
We get brief glimpses of other parts of the game in the end of the video, including sections playing as Sarah and, of course, T-800.
While it has the presentation of 16-bit era games, the pixel art and animation is obviously a cut above what was possible back in the day, and it looks great.
Hopefully the whole game holds up when it arrives on 5th September 2025. Are you excited for Terminator 2D: No Fate on PS5 and PS4? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source youtube.com]
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Stephen has been part of the Push Square team for over six years, bringing boundless enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of video games to his role as Assistant Editor. Having grown up playing every PlayStation console to date, he’s developed an eclectic taste, with particular passion for indie games, arcade racers, and puzzlers. He’s also our go-to guy for Sonic-related matters, much to his delight/chagrin.