Summary
Amazon Primehas finally released the first batch of Blur Studio’sSecret Levelseries to its highly anticipated gaming, and non-gaming, fanbase, but even with eight episodes (so far) of the animated anthology now out in the wild, the show’s creator reveals one thing the team fears the most. For the longest time, video game adaptions were mostly seen as “cursed projects”, mostly due to how rare it was to see one masterfully and faithfully produced which reflected the stories of the original material. With the likes ofMonster Hunter,Street Fighter,andAssassin’s Creedfailing to produce film franchises that have lived up to the glory of their game counterparts, it’s of little wonder why there is so much stress involved when wanting to adapt a TV show or movie from a beloved game.
Thankfully, things started to change with the likes ofArcane,HBO’sThe Last of Us,and Amazon’sFalloutcoming into the picture, pushing the almost rock-solid boundaries of what was actually possible and showcasing what could be achieved with a video game adaptation. Now,Secret Levelhas endeavored to do the same with their animated anthologyshow made up of 15 episodes that have been directly inspired by a video game franchise - fromUnreal TournamentandWarhammer 40,000toPac-ManandArmored Core.
Secret Level’s Tim Miller Discloses Team’s Biggest Fear With Animated Series
Speaking withBBC Newsbeat,Secret Level’s creator, Tim Miller, stated that the team at Blur Studios isn’t “afraid of the companies” but rather they are “afraid of the fans.” Looking at the massively successful adaptations ofFalloutandArcane, both of which have huge fanbases, it’s easy to understand why creatingSecret Levelwas a scary time for Miller, especially because it incorporates such iconic titles that the gaming audience has known and loved for years. Previously, Miller defended keeping PlayStation’s canceledConcordepisode inSecret Levelbecause they are really proud of the work that went into it.
One ofSecret Level’s episodes is based onWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which was a success for Saber Interactive, and it seems as though the animated series' director, Dave Wilson, was very aware of the game’s popularity when crafting the adaptation forSecret Level. Quoting a space marine saying “They shall know no fear,” Wilson said, “If you take that too literally you can’t really have a hero make a choice if he’s not afraid of the consequences of that choice, right?” Having high-profilevoice actors inSecret Levelcan certainly help the show’s visibility too and Wilson believes that “So much of the success is built from those actors setting those franchises up,”
Even though only the first eightepisodes ofSecret Levelpremiered on Prime Video on Tuesday, December 10, with the rest following on December 17, reviews have, so far, been fairly mixed. Some critics have called the anthology series, which features the likes of Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger, “uninspiring” and “dull”; while others have championed the series, saying it is a “delightful love letter to gamers.”
Secret Level
Cast
Amazon Prime Video’s Secret Level is an animated series that explores different gaming worlds, telling short stories within them. Some of the featured games include Armored Core, Sifu, Unreal Tournament, Concord, Ghost of Tsushima, Pac-Man, and The Outer Worlds.
