“Secret Level” is stuffed of references and characters from popular video games — but some new additions might be harder to place.
The animated anthology series from Amazon’s Prime Video adapts a number of video game worlds from familiar faces like Pac-Man and Mega Man to the less familiar like “Exodus,” “Crossfire” and “Conclave.” They’re also taking a crack at a few lore-dense tabletop games “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Warhammer 40,000.”
These are all the franchises represented in the first season of “Secret Level.”
“Armored Core”
Keanu Reeves stars in the “Armored Core” short. The game features a number of mechs battling one another for various corporations to take control of the world. The latest game was released in 2023 by the people known for “Elden Ring” and the “Dark Souls” series.
“Concord”
“Concord” is a bit of an odd duck to be included in “Secret Level.” Playstation clearly had a lot of confidence in this hero shooter – a la “Overwatch” – with the game costing upwards of $200 million. The game crashed and burned and has already been canned by the studio, but here we all are ready to watch an episode about the already-dead series.
“Crossfire”
“Crossfire” brings it’s tactical gameplay to the series with a story about a SWAT team in action. It’s a free-to-play game that might not be massive in the U.S. but has a large international audience.
“Dungeons & Dragons”
“Dungeons & Dragons” has taken the world by storm the last few years, and an inclusion in “Secret Level” is it’s latest conquest. The tabletop RPG has been spun off into a number of video games through the years, but most successfully in 2023’s “Baldur’s Gate 3,” which swept nearly every Game of the Year award on offer.
“Exodus”
“Exodus” represents one of the unreleased games on offer for a “Secret Level” episode. The game follows humanity as they’re forced to flee from Earth while doing battle with an alien species called Celestials. Not much else is known about the game, but the episode looks to be good promo for it.
“Honor of Kings”
“Honor of Kings” is a popular mobile MOBA game, but the corresponding episode of “Secret Level” looks to shirk the more anime vibe of the game for a realistic tone.
“Mega Man”
Mega Man is a video game icon and “Secret Level” is right to pay respect to it’s elders. The Blue Bomber has lived many virtual lives across tons of genres, but he’s most known for the 2D platforming shooter that made his name. Among all of Capcom’s recognizable IP, it’s Mega Man that the company most often hangs it’s hat on – and it looks like “Secret Levels” is doing the same.
“New World: Aeternum”
“New World: Aeternum” is an MMORPG owned by Amazon, so it’s no surprise that a bit of brand synergy has it featured as an episode on “Secret Level.” The game is rooted in fantasy with a bit of a supernatural twist to make it stand out among the other major MMORPGs on offer.
“The Outer Worlds”
“The Outer Worlds” was one of the most distinct RPGs released in the last few years, so it’s no surprise that the episode exploring the world of Halcyon would be equally unique. With numerous splashes of color and a photo-realistic look melded with more standard CGI fare, it seems like the perfect mix to explore this dystopian hellscape run by corporations colonizing the stars.
“Pac-Man”
Of all the properties looking to have a large change for their “Secret Level” episode, none is more drastic than Pac-Man. Known mostly for navigating mazes while eating pellets, fruit and the occasional ghost, the episode seems to feature a dystopian wasteland with an alien being hunted by a homing Pac-Man with razor-sharp teeth.
“Playtime”
Playstation simply couldn’t decide which IP to feature in an episode, so they threw a ton of them together. It’s unclear how these characters will all come together or even which characters to expect. The only known faces confirmed are “God of War’s” Kratos and “Ghost of Tsushima’s” Jin Sakai.
“Sifu”
“Sifu” is an incredibly difficult beat-em-up with a unique visual style that the “Secret Level” episode based around it seems to match. If the episode is anything like the game, expect a fair amount of blood-soaked martial arts action in this one.
“Spelunky”
The uber-successful indie “Spelunky” is also on offer in “Secret Level.” The game features – you guessed it – a hero spelunking through caves in search of treasure and avoiding enemies.
“Unreal Tournament”
Expect the “Unreal Tournament” episode to be as blood-soaked as the game it’s made after. The series helped pioneer the rise of first-person team-based shooters online, and images of the episode clearly show a deathmatch arena ready to be filled.
“Warhammer 40,000”
“Warhammer 40,000” is the second tabletop game on offer in “Secret Level” that has enjoyed a number of video game adaptations. The “40K” lore is as labyrinthine as it gets, and the episode is likely only going to dip a toe into the bleak world. But it might be enough to push people deeper into the franchise.
