Terminator 2D: No Fate is packed with Terminator references and Easter eggs, but this one is perhaps for hardcore fans only.
Bitmap Bureau’s retro action game has an Easter egg that can only be accessed once you’ve unlocked its hardest mode, Judgment Day. Once you’ve done that, play through the game on Judgment Day difficulty and reach the Biker Bar level, which is only the second level in Arcade Mode if you want to get there quickly. The instant the level loads, you’ll immediately notice that the previously naked Arnie is now wearing some very bright, ultra ‘90s neon Zubaz shorts.
Why is he doing that? It’s a reference to how The Governator actually dressed on-set during the filming of the biker bar scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. That’s right: naked Arnie in Terminator 2 is a lie, and you can get a glimpse of those incredibly colourful shorts in this footage from behind the scenes.
We thought we’d check in with the Terminator 2D development team to find out more about this cheeky Easter egg, and they explained how it came together:
"When planning the game we did a lot of research on the movie; watching it scene-by-scene, going through materials such as the illustrated screenplay and also looking at making of content which is where the shorts idea came from.
"After looking at how some of the older T2 games handled the naked Terminator for the bar scene (for example in the SNES game where it was behind a strategically placed wooden fence) — Mike [Tucker, designer] jokingly had the idea of making a pixelated crotch effect for Easy Money mode.
“But we decided the shorts from behind-the-scenes pics would be a hilarious Easter egg and you can only unlock it on the Judgment Day difficulty!
“We also had an internal thread where we gathered ideas for Easter eggs to include, and we managed to fit plenty of them into the game. For example, retro game lovers may enjoy the custom ending of Arcade Mode which we hope is a nice reward for sticking with that challenge and completing it.
“For the biker bar level itself, we made a lot of adjustments throughout the development as we continued to polish. Like adding the two licensed music tracks, adding the boss fight, the guy getting griddled, giving the Terminator a line asking for clothes, boots and motorcycle, the waitress idle animations etc and then we added a few more moves such as the backfist, headbutt, and shoulder barge for depth.”
So there you have it! That’s why the Terminator is wearing retro shorts in Terminator 2D: No Fate, and if you didn’t already know about its origins, now you have some fun movie trivia to impress your film buff friends with!
Arnie's shorts aren't the only call-back to Terminator 2. In June, IGN reported on how the developers tracked down the actor who played future war John Connor back in 1991 to include his likeness, and in doing so found out why Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't in the game.
IGN’s Terminator 2D: No Fate review returned an 8/10. We said: “Terminator 2D: No Fate is a wonderfully realised tribute to one of the single greatest movies ever made, punctuated with pitch-perfect music, exquisite pixel art, and brilliant Easter eggs.”
And in Terminator movie news, creator James Cameron has said he plans to make a new film once the dust has settled on Avatar: Fire and Ash, but insisted Arnold Schwarzenegger's time as The Terminator is officially over.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
