Were you ever curious about the origins ofPac-Manand those relentless ghosts? Or maybe you wanted to witness your epicD&D campaignbrought to life? Amazon Prime’s animated series Secret Level answers those questions and more. It’s engaging enough for anyone to enjoy, but it’s undeniably a love letter to gamers everywhere.
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The season reeled me in from the first episode, but admittedly, there were some I felt stuck the landing more than others. Since Secret Level received a season 2, it’s time to appreciate season 1 in its entirety by ranking each episode. It goes without saying, butthis list is subjective.
Spoilers will follow for every episode of Secret Level season 1. Read at your own risk.
15Playtime: Fulfillment
Episode 15
Fulfillment is visually appealing, but there’s not much to the episode’s story. It stands out as it’s not about a single, specific game, just a giant homage toSony.
We see the courier O embark on an imaginative journey, and it’s easy for any die-hard fan to put themselves into her shoes. The only problem is there’s little substance compared to the rest of the show.
14Crossfire: Good Conflict
Good Conflict is about as intense as any Crossfire match. There’s an interesting moral dilemma among the mercenary companies, as no one’s really the bad guy here, which tends to happen in shooters like this.
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However, even with the minimal plot, it simply feels like a never-ending cutscene. It’s not bad, but it’s a unique case in which a shorter runtime could have helped it.
13Mega Man: Start
Episode 10
Mega Man is one of my favorite game franchises from my childhood, so I was eagerly awaiting this episode. There’s some nice action here and cool robot fights, but it’s simply too short of a journey.
By the end of it, we see our character finally armor up, which is super cool, but then it’s over in a blink. Witnessing him in battle with full armor would have been the real treat.
12PAC-MAN: Circle
Secret Level transformed the innocent and bright Pac-Man into ahorror-filled nightmare. We’re not kidding. But this stark difference pays off quite well for fans who are eager for a twist on a classic game.
The theme of “eat or be eaten” captures the almost endless routine of running around that maze. It takes some time to digest, no pun intended, but it’s nonetheless interesting. Plus, it’s awesome that they used Ms. Pac-Man instead of Mr.
11Concord: Tale of the Implacable
Episode 13
Well, we all know howConcordturned out at this point. And since you can’t play it, you can still experience it with this episode. But it’s a bittersweet viewing because the episode really is fun.
We don’t follow the characters from the game. Instead, this new batch is far more colorful and full of personality. It’s a delightful sci-fi/heist tale that gives us a glimpse of what-if about agame that’s long gone.
10Spelunky: Tally
Episode 12
Tally follows the story of a young Spelunker named Ana, and just like the platformer game, she starts her life and world anew each time she dies. The episode captures the repetitive vibe of a procedurally generated map.
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Ana just keeps on going each time too. It’s a nice message about living life in the moment and going with the flow, and it’s all captured in a charming, artistic style.
9Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things
Episode 14
Honor of Kings is the one game that I’m most unfamiliar with from this Amazon Prime series, and the mind-twisting episode didn’t exactly help clarify things. But it was still entertaining as heck.
It looks like we’ve got an AI-controlled city and the ability to challenge it to gain control. Beyond that, the episode explores the idea of fate versus free will, a topic that’s always an interesting ride.
8Armored Core: Asset Management
Keanu Reeves is involved, so theArmored Coreepisode is automatically a hit. But the story, realistic animation and design, also help. This rough pilot isn’t a character you’d typically root for, but the story makes it work.
The episode is mainly explosions, which is enjoyable enough, but things do take a harsh turn when the pilot discovers someone who is supposedly just like him. Yet he brutally murders him, ending what was mainly an action episode on a slightly darker note.
7Unreal Tournament: Xan
A robot revolution isn’t unique, but Xan explores it well. This feels like a complete story, and it even warns of how someone or something can turn on you when treated with such disregard.
What I enjoyed the most was witnessing how the main robot steadily gained sentience and learned from the surrounding humans. This can easily be transformed into its own miniseries as we see the start of a much larger revolution.
6The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep
Amos is too sweet for his own good, which makes this tale so captivating. It’s more character-driven than anything, and we get to feel a whirlwind of emotions.
There’s humor, of course, as he dodges bad luck happening around him and freely goes along with losing pieces of himself all for love. But what’s heartbreaking is when you give yourself up and receive none of that love in return. A tragic tale, but our main character never loses his shine.
