Love Death + Robots creator Tim Miller returns with another adult animated anthology series, only this time on Prime Video. Consisting of 15 episodes, each with a runtime of around 5-20 minutes, the series takes place within the universe of some of the most popular video games that have taken gamers by storm. Each episode deals with a different story that will transport to different worlds while leaving audiences to deal with shocking storylines.
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Video Game Franchises Featured
Armored Core, Concord, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, Pac-Man, Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
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Secret Level Prime Video Voice Actors
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Laura Bailey, Heaven Hart, Keanu Reeves, Gabriel Luna, Ariana Greenblatt, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Michael Beach, Emily Swallow, Claudia Doumit
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Secret Level 2024 Production Companies
Blur Studio with Amazon MGM Studios
Secret Level Review
Netflix’s Love Death + Robots was a revolutionary series that was disturbing, thought-provoking and sometimes even heartwarming, but was definitely one of its kind. Creator Tim Miller once again brings a unique perspective to the anthology genre, this time working with some much-loved, some new and some indie games and putting a unique spin to it. The Prime Video series excels in the animation department, giving us episode after episode of nostalgia and wonder and leaving us to dwell on the fresh new takes to old tales.
The series, with its 15 episodes, is a breeze to go through. Its pacing is smooth and quick, making watching this delightful. There’s a nostalgia factor here that will work for most viewers, especially those who are familiar with the featured games (more on that later), creating unique worlds for gamers and non-gamers to breathe in. However, the shorter runtime also makes sure to pack a punch and bow out before it gets too dragged.
As with any anthology, every episode is unique and being based on different games, there is very little overlap. The stories don’t exactly follow the games that they feature, rather, they build off of them. Some changes are obviously made but I didn’t think it was too atrocious for the most part. I will mention, however, that the Love Death + Robots background can make viewers expect something truly insane, as that series was, but I found the stories of Secret Level to be mostly simple. Thus, although impactful, it didn’t make my mind explode for the most part.
That being said, I found some of the stories to be thoroughly simple and ineffective. You do expect some uniqueness which is lost in some of the stories. After they get over, you can’t help but wonder the point of it all. Meanwhile, the other entries are fun and thrilling, leaving you to sit at the edge of your seat and watch with bated breath. I also found some of the stories to be quite rushed at times – with huge franchises to build off on, I guess that was mostly a given. The series feels like a string of snippets that we probably didn’t get in the original games, which is an interesting way to look at it, at least in my opinion.
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Unfortunately, viewers who don’t have any idea about the featured games might find themselves a little lost. I think a little idea is absolutely necessary to get the context of the stories being told. Although I understand it might be difficult to play 15 franchise games, I think some amount of research is required. As mentioned earlier, the episodes might feel like snippets sometimes and thus, I will suggest that audiences going into this blind do a bit of background research about the basic story of the games.
That aside, the animation of the series is really great, along with the background scores. Audiences might find themselves lost in the stories being told, relate to its characters and feel oddly emotional at times as well. The series does a fantastic job of bringing the essence of some of these games forward and might just leave a smile on your face from time to time.
Final Thoughts
Secret Level Season 1 is definitely worth the watch. Whether you like video games or not, it definitely makes a mark as an anthology, with unique twists to several stories that will leave viewers engaged. Although not every episode will catch viewers’ eyes, that’s the risk that we have to take with anthologies anyway. Regardless, it doesn’t disappoint and is thoroughly entertaining.
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