In Terminator 2D: No Fate, Fans Discovered a Cool Easter Egg Only True Terminator 2 Fans Will Get

The retro action game Terminator 2D: No Fate is packed not only with obvious fan-service references, but also with rare Easter eggs that only the most die-hard fans of the franchise will catch. Developers at Bitmap Bureau hid a nod in one scene to a real behind-the-scenes moment from Terminator 2, where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “naked” Terminator was actually walking around the set in bright neon shorts.

This secret only activates on the hardest difficulty, Judgment Day: when players reach the biker bar (the Biker Bar level), they’ll see that the previously “naked” T-800 suddenly appears in neon shorts. This is a direct reference to rare footage from the original film’s set, where Schwarzenegger wore bright shorts instead of being completely nude, as seen in the final cut.

According to the team, they originally considered pixelating the character’s most noticeable area on lower difficulties, similar to old 16-bit games that covered “nudity” with fences or background objects. Ultimately, designer Mike Tucker suggested using the on-set reference, and the shorts became a full-fledged Easter egg available only to those who beat the game on its toughest setting.

The Terminator’s neon dress code is just one part of the overall approach: the studio admits they compiled a whole internal list of ideas for references and managed to pack the game with plenty of hidden details, including a custom Arcade Mode ending in the spirit of classic old-school arcades.

Terminator 2D: No Fate launched last week and has received very positive feedback from gamers.