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Secret Level Guide
Video game adaptations have long been a hot topic in film and television, and the games selected for adaptation often come with loyal fanbases and distinctive stories and styles. In the past, however, video game adaptations have been cursed—while they benefit from the source material, the end products are typically subpar. In recent years, the quality of game adaptations has dramatically improved, with notable works like The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie leading the charge. So when the deep-pocketed Amazon announced its own animated anthology series Secret Levels, I was excited.
But it's clear that Secret Levels struggles with issues in both its premise and its adaptation choices.
The first eight episodes, which have been released, adapt games like Dungeons & Dragons, Sifu, New World, Unreal Tournament, Warhammer 40K, Pac-Man, Crossfire, and Armored Core into animated shorts ranging from 7 to 16 minutes in length.
Watching the first episode was initially a pleasant surprise. The photorealistic CGI effectively brought to life various races and magical battles. After the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 last year, it was gratifying to see a Dungeons & Dragons adaptation. However, the episode soon exposed one of the show's core problems: it felt incomplete. The characters were shallow, and the plot was overly simplistic. The ending, with its realistic style and the final appearance of the main antagonist, reminded me of Diablo 4's "Bail to Hell" cinematic, which, like this episode, was just a promotional CG clip.
The second episode, Sifu, took a different approach, adhering to the unique art style and action sequences of the original game. While this was a step in the right direction, it also made significant changes to the story structure. The original game follows a progression of fighting masters, similar to Kill Bill, with a rich array of characters and fight scenes. The episode, however, retained only the concept of resurrection and aging, while the character of the main antagonist became a hollow symbol. The episode focused more on revenge and letting go, but the emotional depth and resonance of the game’s true ending were lost. At just 7 minutes long, it was also the shortest episode, and its brevity and heavy deviations from the source material felt like a missed opportunity.
By the third episode, New World’s advertising nature became apparent. It’s hard to deny that the episode served as a blatant commercial for Amazon’s own game, with characters from the game and promotional CG footage inserted directly into the narrative. This wasn't even a proper adaptation—it was a prequel to an NPC in the game. The storytelling was dull and uninspired, making it the most obvious instance of pure advertising within the series. While such cross-promotion may be common, it’s hard to forgive when it feels so transparent.
The fourth episode, adapted from Unreal Tournament, fared better. It followed the story of the character Xan Kriegor, a mining robot who leads a robot uprising on the asteroid LBX-7683. The episode’s action sequences, including gunfights, fit well within the fast-paced, brutal FPS genre of the original game. While the story wasn't groundbreaking, it was cohesive and stayed true to the spirit of Unreal Tournament, making it one of the stronger episodes.
Without a doubt, the fifth episode, based on Warhammer 40K, was the highlight. The episode perfectly captured the dark atmosphere and relentless brutality of the Warhammer universe. It featured space marines, intense battle sequences, and a complete storyline, making it not only a great adaptation but also a satisfying short film. Some even joked that it was less of an animated episode and more of a trailer for the upcoming Warhammer 40K live-action series starring Henry Cavill. Regardless, it was an intense, action-packed entry.
The sixth episode, based on Pac-Man, was perplexing. Aside from a flying robot shaped like Pac-Man, the rest of the episode felt like a dark survival game advertisement. The decision to force the Pac-Man aesthetic into a gritty, realistic action context seemed forced and unnecessary. It was a bizarre reimagining, with the episode focusing more on elements that didn’t belong rather than staying true to the source material.
Similarly, the seventh episode, based on Crossfire, continued the trend of confusing selections. This episode seemed more like an ad for the underwhelming 2022 game Crossfire X, which had received terrible reviews. The episode featured little in the way of meaningful action or memorable battles. The narrative felt thin and the setting generic. The Crossfire branding felt tacked-on, which diminished the potential of what could have been a solid episode.
Finally, the eighth episode, adapted from Armored Core, starred Keanu Reeves and featured mecha battles. The short runtime of 11 minutes left little room for detailed exploration, but it did offer some satisfying mech-on-mech action. The problem here was that Keanu Reeves, a major Hollywood star, felt more like the central attraction than the Armored Core universe itself. The episode leaned into celebrity appeal, while the essence of the game was somewhat lost in the process.
Overall, the first eight episodes of Secret Levels are problematic. The selection of game IPs often feels driven by commercial interests rather than creative adaptation. The adaptations themselves are inconsistent, with some episodes doing justice to their source material and others feeling rushed or disconnected. The realistic art style, though visually impressive, often feels too uniform, and the series as a whole lacks the variety and depth needed to make it more than just a collection of action shorts. While Warhammer 40K and Unreal Tournament were among the better-executed adaptations, episodes like Pac-Man and Crossfire were confusing at best. The show struggles to find a balance between faithful adaptation and creative reinterpretation, often opting for the former without exploring what could make these games truly interesting in a different medium.
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