Prime Video’s Secret Level is an anthology animated series but unlike something like say, Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots (both of them are created by Tim Miller), Secret Level is unique in that each episode is based on an existing game franchise and IP, including major ones like Mega Man, Warhammer 40K and more.

Blood, Death, & Mechas

As a gamer, it feels unbelievable that we would ever get something with the production value and level (pardon the pun) of Prime Video’s Secret Level. The animation and visuals in almost every episode are comparable to the best cutscenes in AAA games with action and spectacle galore. Every episode is at an average of around 15 minutes each (many are also actually shorter than 10 minutes). This bite-sized duration means that no episode outstays their welcome and just with any good anthology series, each episode offers something different to cater to fans of many genres. Some might complain that the episodes are too short but with the level of quality this Secret Level exhibits and the fact that it even exists at all are all already incredible enough.

There’s fantasy (Dungeons & Dragons), sci-fi (Mega Man, Warhammer 40,000), and more. What’s more is that despite being based on video game franchises, there is a lot of violence, blood, gore and some swearing in Secret Level that it caters more for adults than kids. That’s amazing because it’s extremely difficult to get adult-oriented video game content outside of the actual video games themselves. Many multimedia spinoffs mostly cater to younger viewers, especially so if they’re animated. Hell, even the Pac-Man is dark and brutal. Freaking Pac-Man! You won’t see Pac-Man the same way ever again.

The only flaw of Secret Level is that many of the episodes in Secret Level require a little extra context and prior knowledge about the IP for viewers to fully appreciate the easter eggs and references. Since the episodes are so short, they usually don’t have much in the way of exposition or explanation. That being said, you can still very much enjoy every episode without knowing anything about the games they’re from, but viewers will certainly benefit from knowing the franchise or IP beforehand. There’s still a lot to love even if you know nothing about the franchise or IP. The beautiful and lush animation, the intricate details, the humour and comedy, and above all, the action and spectacle which almost every episode can at least boast of. Even if you don’t like a particular episode or you’re not interested in that particular IP, they still look phenomenal and offer some thrilling action, at least.

In addition, the writing is mostly sublime. For instance, I’ve never played New World Aeternum and I’m not that familiar with the IP but that episode was one of my favourites for being unexpectedly emotional and conveying a complex arc in around just a bit more than 10 minutes (with a surprising voice performance by the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger himself). The creativity in some of these episodes is mind-blowing. Another highlight is the Mega Man episode, which reminds me of Alita Battle Angel and proves a live-action Mega Man movie could totally work (or convince Capcom to finally make a new current-gen Mega Man game that’s long overdue!).

The Armored Core episode will likely prove to be a fan-favourite with Keanu Reeves as the main pilot protagonist. One of my absolute favourites is the Warhammer 40K episode, which doesn’t feature much dialogue or plot, but features such badass action sequences that it perfectly encapsulates why the Warhammer 40K franchise has so many fans.

Some of the episodes in Secret Level are so good that I reckon they could even be pilot or backdoor episodes to movies or a whole separate series of their own. These include the aforementioned Mega Man and Armored Core episodes. And yes, to address the elephant in the room, what do I think of the Concord episode? It’s not bad and is even more evocative of the MCU’s Guardians of The Galaxy vibe than the game was, but it’s nothing special or anything to shout about, but I’m sure the seven or so Concord fans out there in the world will say otherwise and use the episode for an excuse to call for reviving the dead game. Some Secret Level episodes, like the Exodus one, can drive more interest in an upcoming game (at the time of writing, Exodus still doesn’t have a release date), while The Outer Worlds episode can remind us of how good an underrated game was (The Outer Worlds episode is also one of the best in Secret Level Season 1, showcasing dark humour and black comedy that’s similar to Fallout).

Massive Potential

Secret Level Season 1 is a resounding success and proves that the stories of video games have just as much potential as any other medium. The potential is limitless for Secret Level and it will be exciting to see what other game franchises the animated anthology series could pull from in future seasons. Just like Blood, Death & Robots before it, this one deserves more seasons and more creatives involved just to see what they can do with the material that they’re given.

Last but not least, Secret Level proves that you don’t have to be entirely accurate to the games and have a fresh new take on stories from the games while still respecting the spirit of the source material, which is a lesson many major studios making live-action video game movies should learn from.

Final Score: 90/100

We received screeners for Secret Level Season 1 from Prime Video Malaysia. Secret Level Season 1 premieres on Prime Video Malaysia on 10 December 2024, followed by additional episodes debuting on 17 December 2024.