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Terminator 2D: NO FATE from Bitmap Bureau / Reef Entertainment has released today to give you some retro themed action-platformer goodness.

The delays were quite unfortunate, as they repeatedly had issues with physical copies and wanted everything together. It's here now though, and going by the Steam user reviews it's a hit with a Very Positive rating. It launches with a Native Linux version, and Valve rated it Steam Deck Verified with it set to use the Linux version by default.

Check out the original launch trailer below:

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"It's a love letter to 80s/90s arcade games and we feel like it's the T2 game we should have had back in our youth." - Mike Tucker: Design Director & Programmer, Bitmap Bureau

Game Highlights:

  • Step into a classic arcade experience that pays homage to the Terminator universe with authentic arcade gameplay, music and visuals built from the ground up.
  • Relive iconic moments and forge new paths as Sarah, John and the T-800 in a narrative featuring a mix of classic Terminator 2: Judgment Day scenes and untold Terminator stories.
  • Shoot, sneak and escape the T-1000’s blades in a wide array of levels, and lead the Resistance as John Connor in critical Future War missions.
  • Battle against the full force of Cyberdyne and Skynet’s arsenal, with multiple enemy types and adrenaline-pumping boss fights to take on.
  • See the world of Terminator 2: Judgment Day like never before with detailed 2D sprite artwork of your favourite characters and scenes.
  • Enjoy a cinematic soundtrack featuring recrafted music from the legendary Terminator 2: Judgment Day score and all-new compositions.
  • Aim for the highest rank in each level to reign supreme on your high score table and achieve arcade immortality.
  • 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!

Terminator 2D: NO FATE | Release Date: 12th December 2025
Platform: Native Linux

Official links:

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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6 comments Subscribe

dpanter a day ago
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Sweet! 🔥
plain_text a day ago
Ok, great game , but its a bit overpriced??
Drakker 24 hours ago
Yeah, the game looks amazing, but the price seems pretty hefty... I really do want to encourage day 1 Linux support though... big dilemma.
Cyril 22 hours ago
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Quoting: plain_textOk, great game , but its a bit overpriced??
And the game is not "that" great it seems...
M@GOid 7 hours ago
There is two excuses for the price. One, it is a licensed game. They had to pay royalties for the owners the Terminator franchise. Two, they also licensed the "Bad To The Bone" song, which obviously had to pay royalties.

Lets not forget the original SNES/Genesis game launched for double the price, over 30 years ago, a bad game that don't even compare to this in any metric.

I'm not saying this is a cheap game, just that a equivalent indie game don't have to pay royalties for life to anybody. This one does.
Cybolic 4 hours ago
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Quoting: M@GOidThere is two excuses for the price. One, it is a licensed game. They had to pay royalties for the owners the Terminator franchise. Two, they also licensed the "Bad To The Bone" song, which obviously had to pay royalties. [...]
That was my first thought as well. The license for Arnold is missing, but it turns out they already spoke briefly about the licensing in general:
Quoting: Reef EntertainmentArnold Schwarzenegger isn't in the game it’s just a T800. We didn't have his license, unfortunately. But for the rest, you have to ask each actor individually to use his portrait.

What we have is the right to use the characters. So like Sarah, John, T1000, T800, and then certain actors will also provide image rights to Studio Canal, which is included in the agreement. For example; Linda Hamilton is Sarah Connor, which is why you can see Linda at the beginning of the trailer. Whereas our right to use the Terminator itself, it doesn't include Arnold. When you see the character artwork for that, you'll see it's like the Terminator itself rather than Arnold. It's basically the endoskeleton that we have the right to use.

Michael Edwards played the future war version of John in the opening of T2. You see him, he lowers his binoculars, he's looking over the battlefield. Someone like that, we reached out separately to him to include his likeness. There's a definite difference between signing the T2 license and having the agreement to use the characters compared to the actor's likeness, which is separate.
- from [an IGN article](https://sea.ign.com/terminator-2d-no-fate/229314/news/maker-of-new-terminator-2-video-game-tracked-down-actor-who-played-future-war-john-connor-back-in-19))

So, by my count, it's:
  • The Terminator logo, story, characters, etc. from Studio Canal
  • The likeness of Robert Patrick (if not included in the T2 license)
  • The likeness of Edward Furlong (if not included in the T2 license)
  • The likeness of Joe Morton (if not included in the T2 license)
  • The likeness of Michael Edwards (that probably didn't break the bank, but still)
  • The "Bad To The Bone" song by George Thorogood, like you mentioned
  • The "Guitars, Cadillacs" song by Dwight Yoakam (within the bar)
  • Several themes from the T2 score by Brad Fiedel

They probably paid a fair bit more than Ocean Software did back in the day as well.

All in all, I do think it's bit overpriced, but for something done this well and with day one Linux support, I had to give in and purchase it.

Last edited by Cybolic on 13 Dec 2025 at 9:49 pm UTC
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