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.