Terminator: Resistance Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-01-31
  • Faithful to Terminator Universe
  • Engaging story and characters
  • Immersive atmosphere
  • Player choices matter
  • Dull and repetitive gameplay
  • High number of bugs
Terminator: Resistance header

Emotions

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Faithful to Terminator Universe: The game is highly faithful to the Terminator universe, capturing the atmosphere, lore, and elements from the first two movies. It includes numerous references, Easter eggs, and iconic scenes that fans will appreciate.

Engaging Story and Characters: The game features a well-written and engaging story that fits well with the first two Terminator movies. Characters are well-developed, memorable, and have interesting backstories, enhancing the emotional investment in the narrative.

Immersive Atmosphere: The game offers an immersive post-apocalyptic atmosphere with detailed graphics, realistic settings, and atmospheric music. The combination of these elements creates a compelling and believable world.

Player Choices Matter: The game includes dialogue choices and multiple endings, allowing players to shape the story and its outcome. These choices add a layer of depth and personalization to the gameplay experience.

High Replayability: With multiple endings, varied gameplay mechanics, and a rich post-apocalyptic world to explore, the game offers high replayability. Players can experience different outcomes and approaches to missions.

Common complaints

Poor AI behavior: The AI behavior is described as dumb and not very smart. Enemies are reported to get stuck in walls, see through walls, and have predictable attack patterns.

Dull and repetitive gameplay: The gameplay is criticized for being dull, repetitive, and not remarkable. Combat and stealth mechanics are described as straightforward and not rewarding, leading to a boring experience.

Poor graphics and animations: The graphics and animations are described as outdated, poor, and ridiculous. Characters and environments are reported to look bad, with facial expressions ranging from okay to terrible.

Linear and restrictive gameplay: The gameplay is described as very linear with little room for exploration. Invisible walls are reported to restrict movement, leading to frustration.

Weak story and characters: The story and characters are criticized for being uninteresting, boring, and lacking depth. Dialogues are reported to be poorly written and sometimes weird.

Gameplay and performance

Comprehensive gameplay mechanics: The game combines various gameplay elements including combat, stealth, and survival mechanics. It features a mix of firearms and melee options, along with a progression system and character development.

Stealth mechanics issues: Stealth mechanics are criticized for being boring and frustrating. Players feel obligated to move slowly and find the stealth mode mechanics unsatisfying.

Crafting and survival elements: The game includes crafting and survival mechanics, allowing players to scavenge, loot, and craft items. It also features a trading system with NPCs.

Combat and enemy AI: Combat involves a variety of weapons and enemies, including Terminators. However, the enemy AI has issues, such as shooting at walls indefinitely and lack of coordination.

Game length and difficulty: The game is described as short but solid, with high difficulty settings. Players can adjust the skill level and choose from various difficulties.

Frequent bugs and crashes: Many players report experiencing frequent bugs, script failures, and game-breaking glitches. Some users specifically mention crashes on start and on Windows 10.

Unreal Engine instability: A few players attribute the game's bugginess to instability issues with Unreal Engine 4.

Limited menu customization: Some players express dissatisfaction with the limited options for menu customization.

Recommendations

Buy on sale for fans: The game is primarily recommended for fans of the Terminator franchise, especially those interested in the narrative and nostalgia. Many reviews suggest purchasing the game only when it is on sale due to its perceived value being higher at a discounted price.

Not recommended at full price: Several reviews advise against buying the game at its full price, indicating that it may not be worth the investment unless purchased at a discount. This sentiment is echoed by many who suggest waiting for a sale.

Watch films instead of playing: Some reviews suggest that watching the Terminator films or a storyline breakdown might be a better alternative to playing the game, indicating that the game may not live up to the quality of the movies.

Try before committing: A few reviews recommend trying the game for a couple of hours before fully committing to it, especially for those who are not die-hard fans of the Terminator franchise. This suggests a cautious approach to purchasing the game.

Avoid due to crashes: There are reports of the game crashing, which significantly impacts the recommendation to play it. This technical issue is a major drawback mentioned in the reviews.

Platform notes

Steam Deck: The game generally performs well on the Steam Deck with positive feedback on stability and compatibility despite being marked as unsupported. Graphics and controls receive mixed reviews, with some users finding them adequate while others desire improvements. Overall, the game provides a satisfactory experience on the Steam Deck with minor adjustments.

Extra review signals

Monetization: The game 'Terminator: Resistance' and its DLC 'Annihilation Line' receive mixed reviews regarding their value for money and the necessity of the DLC for a complete experience. However, the game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and additional monetization strategies, which is seen as a positive aspect by many users.

Other review notes

Potential licensing issues: There are concerns about the game potentially being removed from Steam due to licensing issues, which could affect availability.

Game completion rate low: Only 35% of players completed the game, indicating potential issues with engagement or difficulty.

Visual settings criticized: Players criticized the graininess and chromatic aberration settings, suggesting these visual effects were not well-received.

Predictable plot twist: Players found the plot twist to be predictable, which may have affected their overall enjoyment of the story.