Summary
- Secret Level is an animated anthology series inspired by video games like Unreal Tournament, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40,000.
- Creator Tim Miller fears the expectations of fans more than the companies when it came to adapting the series.
- Reviews for Secret Level have been mixed, with some calling it uninspiring and others praising it as a love letter to gamers.
Amazon Prime has finally released the first batch of Blur Studio's Secret Level series to its highly anticipated gaming, and non-gaming, fanbase, but even with eight episodes (so far) of the animated anthology now out in the wild, the show's creator reveals one thing the team fears the most. For the longest time, video game adaptions were mostly seen as "cursed projects", mostly due to how rare it was to see one masterfully and faithfully produced which reflected the stories of the original material. With the likes of Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and Assassin’s Creed failing to produce film franchises that have lived up to the glory of their game counterparts, it's of little wonder why there is so much stress involved when wanting to adapt a TV show or movie from a beloved game.
Thankfully, things started to change with the likes of Arcane, HBO's The Last of Us, and Amazon's Fallout coming into the picture, pushing the almost rock-solid boundaries of what was actually possible and showcasing what could be achieved with a video game adaptation. Now, Secret Level has endeavored to do the same with their animated anthology show made up of 15 episodes that have been directly inspired by a video game franchise - from Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000 to Pac-Man and Armored Core.
Secret Level Argues What Makes a Video Game Adaption With Just One Episode
One Secret Level episode takes what fans expect from a video game adaptation and twists it on its head, broadening the definition in an artistic way.
Secret Level's Tim Miller Discloses Team's Biggest Fear With Animated Series
Speaking with BBC Newsbeat, Secret Level's creator, Tim Miller, stated that the team at Blur Studios isn't "afraid of the companies" but rather they are "afraid of the fans." Looking at the massively successful adaptations of Fallout and Arcane, both of which have huge fanbases, it's easy to understand why creating Secret Level was a scary time for Miller, especially because it incorporates such iconic titles that the gaming audience has known and loved for years. Previously, Miller defended keeping PlayStation's canceled Concord episode in Secret Level because they are really proud of the work that went into it.
One of Secret Level's episodes is based on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which was a success for Saber Interactive, and it seems as though the animated series' director, Dave Wilson, was very aware of the game's popularity when crafting the adaptation for Secret Level. Quoting a space marine saying "They shall know no fear," Wilson said, "If you take that too literally you can't really have a hero make a choice if he's not afraid of the consequences of that choice, right?" Having high-profile voice actors in Secret Level can certainly help the show's visibility too and Wilson believes that "So much of the success is built from those actors setting those franchises up,"
Even though only the first eight episodes of Secret Level premiered on Prime Video on Tuesday, December 10, with the rest following on December 17, reviews have, so far, been fairly mixed. Some critics have called the anthology series, which features the likes of Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger, "uninspiring" and "dull"; while others have championed the series, saying it is a "delightful love letter to gamers."
Secret Level’s First Pac-man Teaser Has Left Some Fans Very Confused
Secret Level's Pac-Man episode gets a brand-new teaser trailer but its dark take on the 1980s character has left some fans bewildered.
Secret Level
- Release Date
- December 10, 2024
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
Cast
-
Pilot -
Parry ShenMC (young) -
Ping WuMC (Old)
-
Lydia LookLi
Amazon Prime Video's Secret Level is an animated series that explores different gaming worlds, telling short stories within them. Some of the featured games include Armored Core, Sifu, Unreal Tournament, Concord, Ghost of Tsushima, Pac-Man, and The Outer Worlds.
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Character(s)
- Pilot, MC (young), MC (Old), Li, Sean, Thug, MC (Child), The Voice, Old Salt, The Kid, Dispatch / Mechanic, Solon, Mora, Tally, Luzum, Ahokal, Oriel, Tiamat, King Aelstrom, Scaevola, King Zimah, Urda
- Production Company
- Blur Studio, Amazon MGM Studios
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
- Creator(s)
- Tim Miller
Source: BBC Newsbeat
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