We got a lot of news at Gamescom earlier this year, but the most intriguing was arguably Secret Level, a videogame anthology series from the minds behind Love, Death and Robots. Headed to Amazon on December 10th, Secret Level will feature stories from 15 different games and/or adjacent IP. There’s a very nice balance between big AAA blockbusters, respected indie hits and retro games from yesteryear. With that in mind, some of these may have you scratching your head thinking “Huh? The heck is that?”. So, here’s a brief overview of every featured game in Secret Level, and how the episode seems set to compare to it.
Armored Core
Just a couple of years ago, this would’ve been met with a lot of strange glances. However, FromSoftware’s 2023 hit Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon made the once-niche mecha series into a big name. Historically taking place in dystopian futures, the long-running franchise sees players pilot a fully customisable giant robot to take all manner of dirty jobs. Much like FromSoftware’s more famous ventures, the games strike the balance of punishing and satisfying. If you want the long version, here’s a handy summary of everything that came before Fires of Rubicon.
As for Secret Level‘s take, it looks like a dream come true in-the-making. Armored Core VI was a looker, but the cinematography brings the ACs to life in a brand new way. For some reason, Keanu Reeves is also there. Neat! Apparently it’s not enough that you’ll be hearing him in Sonic The Hedgehog 3 when it lands in theaters later this month, but he couldn’t resist hopping inside a giant robot here. I think starring in two videogame adaptations in the same month *has* to be some kind of record.
Concord
Well now. It’s probably safe to say that Concord needs no introduction, but I’ll give one in case you slept in for the two weeks they allowed it out. Announced back in May 2023, Concord was a hero shooter by Firewalk Studios, former subsidiary of Sony. It released in August on PS5 and PC, to legendarily poor sales. As the heavy use of past tense implies, the game was suddenly shut down just over 2 weeks after launch. Worse still, the studio was dissolved in October. What was promised was a story told over fortnightly cutscenes, and this episode of Secret Level was to be part of the greater media rollout.
None of those cutscenes ever saw the light of day, but Secret Level‘s episode will. Despite everything, we’re just going to pretend none of this happened for 15 or so minutes. The trailer shows us the last we’ll see of the world of Concord… but tellingly not the characters. It would appear this may have been a teaser for Concord‘s second season – as the cheeky “Conco2d” at the end implies. It’ll serve as a fascinating glimpse at what could’ve been – and the only permanent trace of the game left. That and the thousands of physical copies living their second lives as coasters…
Crossfire
Now, this one may seem an odd choice. Crossfire is a 2007 online tactical FPS game, by South Korean studio Smilegate Studios. While the game received a lukewarm reception in its home country, things changed when it was licensed to Tencent in China. In stark contrast, its Chinese release catapulted it to one of the most-played games of all time, sometimes hitting 8 million concurrent players. It remains popular within China and, to a lesser degree, Europe, but didn’t hit the same success in America.
What’s the play here? Enter c2055f123 @ https://t.co/7bjJpufMyM #SecretLevel @CrossFireOnline pic.twitter.com/OEB9BWBTBP
— Secret Level (@SecretLevelonPV) December 5, 2024
As such, this is one of Secret Level‘s entries that shows they’re approaching a global audience, recognising hits outside of just the western communities. Contrary to its status as an online shooter, Crossfire does have some degree of lore – something Secret Level may well play off of, though details remain sparse. Funnily enough, Sony Pictures signed on to produce a Crossfire movie back in 2020, as reported by Variety – but Amazon have beaten them to the punch with this.
Dungeons & Dragons
While not strictly a videogame series, the Dungeons & Dragons brand are responsible for some of the greatest games of all time. Without this storied tabletop role-playing game system, we wouldn’t have the legendary Baldur’s Gate trilogy. Heck, they even managed to sneak into Dead by Daylight. Even where not directly adapted, DnD is a huge source of inspiration for other classic RPG videogames. Look no further than Final Fantasy; the original NES game may as well be a simplified adaptation.
The Dungeons and Dragons episode of Secret Level doesn’t pull from any particular videogame, however. It appears to instead represent the general idea of the franchise, where the only limit is imagination. We’ll just have to hope that the writers rolled a nat-20 if they want it to compare to the excellent Baldur’s Gate 3, a game so good we gave it a perfect 10. Twice. And who knows, there may be some sly references hidden within – but I’m going to need a perception check.
Exodus
This one’s a little bit of an oddball – unlike the other episodes, this one’s a game that’s not actually released yet. Announced in 2023, Exodus promises to be a huge AAA sci-fi RPG. It’s being worked on by Archetype Entertainment, a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast; you may know them from Dungeons & Dragons (see directly above). Leading the team is James Ohlen, creative director of the original two Baldur’s Gate entries.
While we don’t know what shape Exodus will take, there’s already plenty of lore available on their official website. As the trailer hints at, one big aspect of the game will be time dilation and its consequences. It’s one of those tricky sci-fi concepts, and this tantalising glimpse will make the wait for more news even harder. Here’s hoping the game makes it to release safely – one episode of a doomed game is enough, thanks.
Honor of Kings
Like with Crossfire, this episode of Secret Level is centered around another big hit in China, but less known to the rest of the world. Honor of Kings is a 2015 MOBA by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent. As with Crossfire, just from China alone it reached concurrent playercounts of over 100 million. In a curious move, it saw a western release in 2016, but under the new title “Arena of Valor“, with significant changes to content. If you’re familiar with the story behind Doki Doki Panic being reskinned into Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s sort of like that. However, earlier this year, Honor of Kings saw a worldwide release in its original, unaltered form – and this is likely why they’re partnering with Secret Level to raise awareness.
Honor of Kings pulls from Chinese mythology a fair amount, and as with any big MOBA, there’s plenty of lore hidden away. Rather than dedicating the episode to represent the actual MOBA gameplay, it looks as if Secret Level is exploring the story instead. While I’d say that’s a handy way to keep the budget down, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all – the visuals for the characters and environments in this sort clip look fantastic. While it’s not the most familiar-sounding game, this episode could be a sleeper hit even for non-fans.
Mega Man
A blue character who tries to stop an evil doctor trying to conquer the world with a robot army. No, not that one. Mega Man actually beat Sonic to the punch, debuting in 1987, and his run-and-gun platformer gameplay still holds up. Throughout the 11 mainline games, the formula has remained completely unchanged. Run-and-gun through an array of stages in any order you choose, fight a Robot Master at the end, and take their power upon victory. But Mega Man‘s legacy doesn’t stop at the mainline series. With over 130 different games to draw from, over many different reboots and genres, Amazon and Blur must’ve been spoilt for choice in terms of choosing what to adapt.
The Blue Bomber hasn’t had much luck when it comes to adaptations. Despite a simple premise, he only has two cartoons to show for it, and both of them missed the mark. Still, third time looks to be the charm, taking an origin story approach that hasn’t been portrayed in this much detail before. Of all the Secret Level episodes, Mega Man appears to be drawing some of the most anticipation. Given he’s been benched since 2018’s excellent Mega Man 11, perhaps it’s time for Capcom to finally strike while the iron is red-hot?
New World: Aeternum
A big part of MMOs is that, well, they’re Massive – it’s in the name. With all those active players forming a potential audience, it’s no surprise that one would fall into Amazon’s crosshairs – even less surprising that it’s their own game. New World is Amazon’s very own MMORPG, released for PC back in 2021. However, just this October it relaunched on PC and PS5/Xbox Series X as New World: Aeternum. While initial reception was mixed, this unique 17th century fantasy world found its audience.
Friendship awaits! Enter n3w w021d @ https://t.co/7bjJpufMyM #SecretLevel #NewWorldAeternum pic.twitter.com/4Vo5jiz0KR
— Secret Level (@SecretLevelonPV) November 26, 2024
If there’s one thing the trailer makes clear, there’ll be no shortage of action. Quite how it fits the story of New World is a mystery for now, but it’s hard to pay attention thanks to one major distraction. Yes, the man seeking to take the throne is indeed voiced by Arnie himself. Speaking to Collider, the showrunners explained how this episode basically exists because of Schwarzenegger’s involvement. So this episode is sure to delight fans of, say, Conan the Barbarian. As for New World fans? I suppose we’ll see.
Pac-Man
Here’s a videogame I’m certain we all recognise. One of the strongest pillars of videogame history, Pac-Man has dominated arcades for almost 45 years. He’s gone on to star in platformers, kart racers and cartoons, but to this day he’s still best known for eating pellets in ghost-filled mazes. The games aren’t particularly big on story at all, but such a simple premise can be a firm root for creative liberty.
You are the chosen. Enter p4cm4n @ https://t.co/7bjJpufMyM #SecretLevel @officialpacman @BandaiNamcoUS @BandaiNamcoEU pic.twitter.com/9K3OzWl8Sw
— Secret Level (@SecretLevelonPV) December 4, 2024
With that said…um, what? To be perfectly honest, I mistook this for an Oddworld short when the hooded figure featured here popped up in the initial reveal. But nope, this is Pac-Man! I know I said creative liberty is fair game for adapting a game about a yellow mouth being chased by ghosts, but perhaps this is a bit far. Despite the radical changes, you can see some of the DNA in there. A character running around a narrow canyon filled with monsters can be likened to the mazes and ghosts. Of course, the mantra of “Eat…or be eaten” pretty much sums up the game. It’s Pac-Man made deadly serious…and that might make it hard to take seriously.
PlayStation
That’s right, not just a game – a brand! Rather than just throwing in one or two of their library of hot IPs, Sony are all-in. The dedicated PlayStation episode will cover a wide array of familiar faces from PlayStation. Chief among them is Kratos from God of War, and also spotted is Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. More blink-and-you’ll miss it cameos are to be expected throughout this joyride.
You guys wanna play? Enter 50ny5 p14y71m3 @ https://t.co/7bjJpufMyM #SecretLevel @PlayStation @PrimeVideo @AmazonMGMStudio pic.twitter.com/aSETgFSx9Z
— Secret Level (@SecretLevelonPV) December 2, 2024
The episode itself, with Sony’s library to pick from, opts instead to focus on “Courier O”. As such, we’ll be seeing all manner of Sony-branded chaos from her perspective, which makes for a handy audience surrogate for those more unfamiliar with PlayStation games. That said, with all these characters packed into a brief runtime, fans should probably lower expectations. Let’s just hope for her sake that she doesn’t drive into Twisted Metal along the way…
Sifu
One of the more surprising games to pop up here, Sifu is worth a look. While appearing as a typical 3D beat-em-up with minor rougelite elements, there’s immense depth to Sifu‘s martial arts. Over 150 unique moves make up the brilliant combat system, which is easy and intuitive to learn. Adding to that is the aging system; dying within a level ages you, improving your combat prowess but making you more frail and vulnerable to damage. If you age too far, you die for good and have to start the level over. By all means, Sifu is an incredible indie hit, and received three nominations at last year’s game awards. Regardless of how this episode turns out, definitely consider picking this game up.
It’s immediately apparent that Blur Studio has nailed Sifu‘s standout artstyle in its episode of Secret Level. You may not be able to experience the satisfaction of the combat through the screen, but it looks no less intense here. The plot takes place in the second level of the game, The Club. This is a great choice, picking up after the action has already gotten moving without jumping too far ahead and spoiling the later story elements in case viewers are compelled to check out the game for themselves – and believe me, they should.
Spelunky
Joining Sifu in regards to representing indie titles is an episode on Spelunky. Originally released by Derek Yu (now better known for 2024’s excellent UFO 50), Spelunky is a tough-as-nails rougelite. It sees the player descend into procedurally-generated caves, seeking to reach the bottom. While there is an ending, the relentlessly brutal difficulty ensures few players will ever see it.
New adventures await. Enter 5p31unky @ https://t.co/7bjJpufMyM #SecretLevel @spelunkyworld @mossmouth pic.twitter.com/auf7t80Hg1
— Secret Level (@SecretLevelonPV) November 21, 2024
Spelunky’s artstyle is cartoony and minimalist, befitting of its more retro structure. The animation on display in Secret Level, on the other hand, is anything but. Looking closer to the Sifu episode, it’s a little jarring to see the world of Spelunky in such high definition. The protagonist appears to be Ana Spelunky from 2020’s Spelunky 2, rather than Guy Spelunky from the first game. All in all, if this episode is accurate to my attempts playing the game, she won’t survive two minutes.
The Outer Worlds
Obsidian Entertainment have a strong following in the RPG sphere, and fans eagerly await their next game, Avowed. However, it’s their contribution to the Fallout universe, Fallout New Vegas, that’s their most beloved game. Since its release in 2010, many people have hoped Obsidian return to the series to make a follow-up. While this hasn’t panned out, their 2019 release The Outer Worlds felt like the next best thing. Bringing the setting to space, it did a fine job – and a solid remaster dropped last year for anyone who missed it the first time around.
One thing that’s immediately clear from the title: this will specifically be a prelude to The Outer Worlds 2. Announced back in 2021, we’ve yet to see more – but if they’re collaborating with Secret Level for this, perhaps a new trailer is imminent. At the very least, the episode looks to retain the same streak of dark humour from the first game.
Unreal Tournament
If the name isn’t familiar to you, then I must be getting old. Created by Epic Games (yes, the Fortnite lot) the franchise was a revolution for multiplayer shooters. Released back in 1999, the series has gone on to see 5 total entries. The most recent of these entered early access in 2013, but sadly never got finished due to Fortnite‘s success and has since shut down. The other entries were shut down and delisted from stores back in January of 2023, but fan servers remain online. Furthermore, as discovered on Resetera, Epic have officially approved of the release of the original Unreal Tournament as freeware via Archive.org, so anyone with a PC is welcome to give it a try.
The UT games were certainly not known for their story – the regular Unreal games were there for that instead. What this does mean for Secret Level is plenty of non-stop action. While it’s not quite as chaotic and zippy as the average match, plenty of classic elements are thrown in here for fans to point at. From the memorable flak cannon to the unmistakable booming voice declaring “Headshot!”, it’s clear this was made out of love for the dearly departed series.
Warhammer 40,000
Like we saw earlier with Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer 40K has its roots in the tabletop scene. While it’s a franchise built on expensive miniatures and mountains of novels, it’s also been the setting for countless videogames. They’re not all cash-in either – the first two Dawn of War games are exemplary in the strategy genre. You’ve also got great RPGs such as last year’s Rogue Trader, or the Left 4 Dead-esque Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.
Unlike the DnD episode, Secret Level‘s episode for Warhammer 40K is directly connected to an existing game, Specifically, this is a direct follow-up to Space Marine 2 from earlier this year. Between Space Marine 2 and the also-fantastic Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, it’s great seeing such a media rollout dedicated to one story within the greater 40K universe. As announced via Warhammer Community, Clive Standen reprises his role as the titular Space Marine himself, Captain Titus. Expect, at the very least, a complete gore-fest – not one for the faint of heart.
Conclusion
Altogether, Secret Level is shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind gaming event to end the year. Well, unless it gets a season two. With such a scattershot of properties, it’s unlikely that every episode will be a hit. Even between a group of fifteen people, they may all have a different favourite episode out of them. But regardless of how it turns out, there’s something so special about a TV series where Mega Man, Unreal Tournament and *Spelunky* can stand side-by-side in the episode list. Perhaps it means another chance of life for the franchises cut short here, or maybe viewers of Secret Level will be about to discover their next favourite game. Secret Level‘s first batch of episodes drops on Amazon Prime Video December 10th, with the second half dropping next week on December 15.
