Secret Level Part 1 Ranked
The first part of ‘Secret Level’ has released on Amazon Prime Video with eight episodes. The series takes several different video games with different genres and adapts them into dfferent shorts. In honor of that it seems right to rank them based off how good they were. There will be full spoilers in the discussion.
Unreal Tournament: Xan
‘Unreal Tournament: Xan’ manages to do what few shorts manage, and that’s telll a complete story from beginning to end. Audiences near immediately sympathise with Xan’s struggle to be free, and once Xan gets into the area the action is super slick and tighter than tight. It has a strong coolness to it. The ending also provides strong cartharsis, and makes the audiences root for the robot revolution.
New World: The Once And Future King
While ‘New World: The Once And Future King doesn’t have the slick and tight action of the previous entry, what it does have is humour and heart. King Aelstrom’s journey from selfish king to selfless man in believeable as it is hilarious to watch, hitting hilarious highs such as finding out the Dark power on the island is absolutely useless, subverting the expectation it’ll work with consequences, and emotional highs when he makes a gift for Scaevola at the end. Arnold Schwarzenegger voices the King with such arrogance, adding a lot to the character.
Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear
‘Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear’ delivers a beautifully violent episode with its characters, showing the real damage that four highly armored and skilled Space Marines. They also feel appropriately heavy and pack a huge punch when they throw down against their foes. The appearance of Captain Titus is also the cherry on top for fans, as he has a central place in ‘Warhammer 40,000’ lore.
Sifu: It Takes a Life
The animation style of ‘Sifu: It Takes a Life’ helps to set it apart from the other shorts, and it manages to incorporate the central mechanic from the game, with MC becoming an old man by the end. There is some emotional beats to this, the theme of time and the woman he buys food from, but it’s not quite whole.
Armored Core: Asset Management
While Keanu Reeves is a perfect person, it’s hard to say the same for the short that he appears in, ‘Armored Core: Asset Management’. It’s confusing story might make sense to those who know the games, but it doesn’t as presented in the short. The strong action holds this short up, with the duels between the mech’s being a dance to the death.
Crossfire: Good Conflict
It’s hard to discern if ‘Crossfire’ is based on an actual game. Of course it is to be included in this series, but the military conflict it draws on feels like it could be drawn from a TV show, movie, or anything. However, the sequences are fun with the action, and there is theme to follow on with both sides thinking they’re the good guys. It’s not thought-provoking, but at least it’s there.
Dungeons and Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle
This short takes a more serious side to ‘Dungeons and Dragons’, but unfortunately it doesn’t stand up to the lightheard take fans saw in 2023. The main emotional core of the short isn’t able to hit home as much as this short would like, as it’s expecting the audience to be deeply intimate with the character about her trouble, when audiences have barely meet her. It also tells the audience why they should be emotionally invested instead of showing them. At least the visual of the dragon at the end is cool.
Pac-Man: Circle
‘Pac-Man’ is an inconic video game character, helping to usher in this age of gaming audiences now find themselves in. The team behind this short had a chance to pay an homage to that legacy, craft a fun maze with all the ghosts and run with that. Instead, they for some reason turn Pac-Man into a trapped horror monster? It’s so tonally different to what audiences expect, but it doesn’t land right.
The second part of ‘Secret Level’ releases on Amazon Prime Video on December 17.
