Summary
Select Levelis a new anthology series on Amazon. It’s from the creator of the anthology sci-fi seriesLove, Death and Robotsaka Tim Miller. Miller is also responsible for directing the firstDeadpoolmovie, so the man has a lot of nerd credit in the eyes of fans. Combined with Blur Studio who has worked on CG cutscenes for video games for decades, every short inSecret Levellooks at another property fromArmored CoretoUnreal Tournament.
The first season is only eight episodes and there’s a planned second season that will feature such legends as Mega Man. Until that day comes, let’s rank every episode from season one with spoilers in terms of entertainment value and ignore whether they hold true to the video game being adapted. There will be spoilers.
8Unreal Tournament: Xan
Get Ready To Rebel
Unreal Tournamentis a classic PC multiplayer shooter that reigned high in the 90s. Unreal Tournament: Xan is set in the far future wherein humanity fights in gladiatorialbattles against robots. After a few rounds wherein human fighters win, the robots start to learn and rebel against their fleshy masters.
There’s not much of a story to it but there are some inventive fights in the mix of explosions and bullets. It’s a forgotten franchise that hasn’t seen a big entry in a while and it probably won’t strike a big cord with new audiences watching this short.
7Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear
We’re Done Here
Warhammer 40,000has had an explosion of gamesrecently withWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2being the latest entry. Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear ties into that game as Titus, the main character ofWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, is part of the unit in this short.
He’s a side character though not that there is a lot of dialogue exchanged. Most of the short takes place in a dusty canyon wherein the heavily armored Space Marines slaughter heretics by the dozens. The coolest part of the episode is the end wherein the unit becomes transfixed by a demon in a cave who controls time and revels in slaughtering these juggernauts in creative ways.
6Crossfire: Good Conflict
Score One For The Good Guys
Crossfireis another multiplayer shooter and one of the newer ones.LikeCall of Duty, it focuses on military gun battles and extractions. Crossfire: Good Conflict follows one mercenary unit trying to protect a client and his briefcase in a war-torn city set in the rain.
What makes this short intriguing is the message at the end. It shows both military units trying to get their job done and they think they are the heroes and not the villains. It’s a message that says the truth is in the eye of the beholder which is not a new theme in media but still pretty sound.
5Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle
In Need Of A Cleric
Dungeons & Dragonsis an old-school classic in terms of pen-and-paper RPGswhich has had several good video games too. The property lends itself well to an anthology series since players make up stories for campaigns all of the time.Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradleis a one-off story about a party of four adventurers who save a young man in the woods.
This man is haunted by markings on his body and it’s clear something is inside which prompts the party’s Paladin to take him to see a dragon to extract the spell from his body. It’s a short film filled with some quippy lines and heart-to-heart moments along with some stylistic action thanks to all of the magic whizzing by onscreen.
4Sifu: It Takes A Life
Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting
Sifuis amartial arts roguelikewherein a young karate student witnesses his master die at a young age. The game has an interesting mechanic that allows players to die and come back at the cost of their age.
So, in a single run, players may look like they are pushing 70 with gray hair.Sifu: It Takes a Lifebasically showcases all of the lore from the game including the student’s backstory and his hunt for revenge albeit in a fast-forwarded take. There are some good martial arts moves in the short plus it ends on a somewhat sweet but awkward moment that may have some viewers raising their eyebrows.
3Pac-Man: Circle
You Look Hungry, Eat
Pac-Man is a character that needs no introduction as even grandparents know about this pellet-munching arcade hero.Pac-Man: Circlehas absolutely nothing to do with the “lore” of the arcade game and instead it’s based on an upcoming spinoff calledShadow Labyrinth. The episode opens with a gray-tinted man hatching from a tube and a glowing golden orb greets him.
The orb encourages this survivor to eat and grow strong to break out of the maze. It’s a montage filled with brutal scenes of violence and flesh being devoured. The twist is that this orb embeds itself into the gray’s body at the end to try and sneak past the exit but it cannot. After the man dies, the maze starts over and the orb greets another hatchling making viewers suspect this has happened many times over ina time loop.
2Armored Core: Asset Management
Wake Up Samurai
Armored Corewas a niche series for hardcore mech fans untilArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconlaunched. The weight of FromSoftware fans skyrocketed it into the popular zeitgeist so it made sense to base aSecret Levelshort on it.
Armored Core: Asset Managementhasan all-star in it, Keanu Reeves, who is rendered like his younger, scrawnier self like fromThe Matrixera. He’s called in to do a job and thus ensues an epic mech battle. While it is another action-heavy episode, Keanu helps elevate it above the rest thanks to his presence.
1New World: The Once And Future King
Live, Die, Repeat
New Worldis an online action RPG made from within the Amazon network. While it doesn’t have the name recognition ofPac-Man, it does have one heck of a short viaNew World: The Once And Future King. It also has a big star attached to it, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays a wannabe king who washes ashore on new land.
He thinks it’s his right to rule and the local king entertains this notion through a series of duels ending with Arnold’s death repeatedly. It’s played for laughs as Arnold’s character pathetically tries too hard. As funny as it is, the ending does have a sweet message attached.
