Secret Level Review – Hits And Misses

Video game adaptations are rapidly becoming Hollywood’s next big Marvel move, with multiple, decent adaptations releasing every year now (we’re not going to talk about Borderlands). Director Tim Miller (Deadpool; Love, Death & Robots), however, puts this trend to the test in a very interesting way: Instead of using source material from one property, why not create an anthology series featuring multiple–and seemingly, extremely random–IPs as a love letter to the industry itself? That’s exactly what Secret Level attempts to do.

Secret Level is Amazon Prime Video’s new animated anthology series where each episode is an interesting, original take on a different video game franchise. Some episodes were highly anticipated as they feature some historically iconic properties such as Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40K, while other segments focus on properties so odd, they can seem like some sort of weird advertisement or make you think, “Who is this even for?” For a series that celebrates the rich storytelling in video games, why have episodes featuring games that aren’t even playable? Yes, we are looking at you, Exodus and Concord.

As expected with an anthology series, each episode is very hit or miss. Tim Miller’s unique visual direction is showcased throughout the whole series, but the biggest obstacle for Secret Level is the short format. Every episode is between 5-17 minutes if you exclude the intro and credits, which is not nearly enough time to explore the rich stories video games have to offer. Some episodes manage to please the audience with short segments packed with gorgeous visuals, action, and character-focused moments, while others feel unnecessary and empty, like those cinematic gameplay trailers that leaves the player thinking, “Oh that’s cool, but where’s the gameplay?” Anyone who is a connoisseur of storytelling in games should not expect episodes to have vast lore with highly satisfying endings, or convince viewers to play the games themselves. The best way to experience Secret Level is to go into it with little expectation or connections and think of each segment as a small homage to the source material.

Overall, Secret Level is an interesting, somewhat inconsistent tribute to the versatile world and lore of video games, while also serving as a taste test to see which properties can be expanded into something longer. It doesn’t isolate its viewers to just gamers and can be an enjoyable experience for everyone, especially those who appreciated Tim Miller’s other animated work Love, Death & Robots. When the stories don’t satisfy and fail to explain why they are worth exploring, you can still enjoy the gorgeous world building and visuals to keep you entertained.

Here are my reviews for each episode:

Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle (MISS) – I love a cliche fantasy “protect the chosen one” story with a likeable party of misfits, especially when there’s cool magic and dragons evolved. Despite hitting all those elements, this episode does not feel like D&D at all. I wish they would have added some more physical tabletop gaming elements instead of creating a one-off story, but I guess that’s the issue of adapting a TTRPG in just a 15-minute episode.

Sifu: It Takes a Life (HIT) – I’ve always thought the resurrection mechanic in Sifu would make it an amazing adaptation, and this episode just nails it. The shift in animation style, the revival moments during the fight scenes, and the lighthearted interactions with the dumpling lady–it was terrific for the short run time. The whole episode went by so quickly, but it made me really want to pick up the game again.

New World: The Once and Future King (HIT) – This episode was a huge surprise to me, because I have only seen brief gameplay of New World and am not an MMORPG player, but my goodness this was fantastic. I didn’t know how bad I needed to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger voicing a goofy, hilarious himbo character for 10 minutes. It does a great job executing the silliness of constantly dying and respawning from the same tough boss with some lighthearted interactions between a main character and NPC. It’s such a delightful, refreshing episode compared to the darkness of many others, and now I need to see more of Arnold yelling, “AELSTROM LIVES!” as he dies repeatedly trying to reclaim his crown.

Unreal Tournament: Xan (HIT) – I never played Unreal Tournament and don’t know much about it, so this was another episode I went in with no connection. After seeing this 19-minute “ode to Xan” and his rise to rebellion, now I wish the series would make a comeback. While most episodes felt like stories separate from a video game, Unreal Tournament went all in with gaming elements–the arena map, announcement sound bites, the campy dialogue, and the incredible action sequences. If the games were revamped to match the aesthetic of this episode, I would play it in a heartbeat.

Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear (HIT) – This was my favorite episode of the series. I think I watched this five times and I have yet to play Space Marine 2. It was all around the most impressive and detailed, especially the sound design and shifts between visual directions. You can feel the weight of the Marine’s armor with every step and the gruesome impact it made on enemies. Every death felt so visceral, and everything about the confrontation with the antagonist had me hyped for more. As someone who has very little knowledge about the Warhammer universe, I could watch hours of stories like this.

Pac-Man: Circle (HIT)- It’s interesting to review this after the Shadow Labyrinth trailer has been released, because my thoughts have shifted a bit. Prior to the game trailer, this was my favorite episode, as I thought it was a bold, badass reimagining of Pac-Man. The “eat or be eaten” survival storyline with horror elements made me want to see more unique adaptations of basic arcade games. While this episode is still up there as one of the most impressive, I can’t help but think this was a prolonged cutscene trailer for Shadow Labyrinth, which is mildly disappointing. It’s still worth a watch though!

Crossfire: Good Conflict (MISS) – I’ve managed to find episodes enjoyable when I’m not familiar with the source material, but this one felt like a slog. It’s a typical military shooter that feels less like a video game story and more like a mediocre action film featuring every shade of grey. If you like mindless action, it’s not terrible, but it certainly made me never want to play Crossfire.

Armored Core: Asset Management (HIT) – I was excited to see how Secret Level adapted From Software’s mech series because I was a huge fan of Armored Core 6 and love the studio’s indirect storytelling. Most of the game’s story development happens between the pilot and an AI voice, and this episode implements the concept in a haunting, gruesome way that truly captures the horrors behind the Armored Core world. Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast as the rough, cynical pilot who is influenced to make terrible decisions by the AI voice, despite the voice being so calm and sweet. It also made me miss watching mech battles in the media, and of course the whole fight sequence had me wondering what their builds were.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep (HIT) – I loved how this episode explored the universe of The Outer Worlds by interpreting it as a tragic romance story. It was an unexpected but great take on the dystopian politics and classism in the series. A lifelong nobody wants to reconnect with his childhood crush, who has now climbed the ranks in society to Auntie Cleo and will do anything to reunite–suffering through painful and traumatizing trials, only for him to realize it will never work. This episode was sad, but it captured what life may actually be like for a random NPC in that colorful, vibrant world.

Mega Man: Start (HIT) – This was my most-anticipated episode, but I ended up debating whether this was a hit or miss. On one hand, it was essentially a five-minute teaser trailer for a Mega Man movie or show that may never exist, which may be disappointing to longtime fans who want to see that iconic suit in action (the wait continues). However, so many moments hit in that short time frame: the nostalgic music, the emotional interaction between Dr. Light and Rock, the buster cannon blast, and lastly–watching our boy transform into the legend himself. It’s tough to get through this episode without catching feelings. Five minutes is an insultingly short length for the beloved series, but that’s because Secret Level did such a fantastic job it left me begging for more.

Exodus: Odyssey (MISS) – Similar to the Pac-Man episode, Exodus: Odyssey is basically a cutscene trailer to an upcoming game, except everyone knows what Pac-Man is while Exodus is an upcoming sci-fi RPG nobody is really talking about yet. I just hope the marketing hype lives up to the game, because this episode doesn’t do it any favors. While it could be a captivating story between a father and his daughter aging at different paces in outer space, it spends too much time trying to build a massive world in just a short 15-minute timeframe.

Spelunky: Tally (HIT) – My personal favorite from Part 2, even though it was the shortest. This felt like a true love letter to the roguelike itself; hundreds of silly, ruthless deaths and building up frustrations over the goofiest accidents that ended my runs. I got flashbacks of all those stupid little missteps–the spikes, torches, and wrong turns that had me smacking my head in disappointment. However, I loved how this episode framed each death as “marking adventures you created”: truly the reason why I chose to sink so many hours into both Spelunky games. The ending to this short segment was the cherry to top it off: the explorer continues her death run and doesn’t seem to escape, which I completely understand because I also never beat Spelunky.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable (MISS) – This one was extremely odd for me. The episode was very colorful, campy, and lighthearted compared to the previous ones, but it felt like there was zero point in getting excited about it. The point of the series is to celebrate video games, but Concord doesn’t even exist anymore, making it an unfortunate and ill-timed inclusion. It’s like getting a coupon book for great discounts but all of them are expired. It’s an unfortunate, surreal experience to have a recent IP be beautifully animated when that game doesn’t even exist anymore. The episode sincerely felt longer than Concord’s entire existence. I also got to watch this episode in a private screening, and while all previous ones ended with an audience applause, this one just ended with the saddest claps.

Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things (HIT) – Similar to Arcane, this episode attempts to reimagine a MOBA game with a compelling, cinematic storyline. I was impressed by how they executed the idea differently though–instead of focusing on the characters specifically, this one focuses on the gameplay itself. It’s a very basic premise: The player, Yi, battles the Tiangong to take its power, and the episode manages to stay consistent instead of trying to put too much in the short timeframe. It’s not nearly my favorite episode, but I think it showcases what Secret Level does well: making games I will probably never play look really cool.

Playtime: Fulfillment (MISS) – The PlayStation-themed episode has an interesting concept but sadly with bad delivery, literally. It could have been a meaningful message about the art of gaming featuring iconic Sony cameos, but it ended up feeling like a hollow advertisement for PlayStation disguised as an odd package-delivering premise. It was cool trying to spot all of the references, but if you want to see a respectful homage to Sony mascots, just watch a quick playthrough of Astro Bot.