'Secret Level' Review: Prime Video's Gaming Series Is Dull

From HBO’s “The Last of Us” to Prime Video‘s “Fallout,” networks and streamers have been on a run of successfully adapting video games into television series. With its latest adult-animated series, “Secret Level,” created by “Deadpool” director Tim Miller, Prime Video offers gamers and novices a new way to experience some notable gaming properties. The 15-episode anthology gives audiences a short snippet into several beloved franchises, including “Pac-Man” and the fantasy role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons.” But despite the vastly different titles, its monotonous storytelling will do little to entice hardcore fans or viewers who know little about the various universes. 

The framework of “Secret Level” is certainly interesting. Miller and game publishers dive into 15 different brands, including PlayStation’s now-canceled “Concord,” Capcom’s “Mega Man” and Amazon Games’ “New World: Aeternum” (the last of which is one of the best of the mediocre bunch). However, spanning seven to 17 minutes, most of these episodes feel like game trailers instead of well-defined stories. Many of the plots get compelling only in the final few minutes. Or worse, they are recycled versions of scenarios the audience has seen numerous times. 

While having a certain amount of lives and constantly dying is a significant component of many video games, this theme is exhaustively explored in “Secret Level.” Episode 2, “Sifu: It Takes A Life,” Episode 3, “New World: The Once and Future King” and Episode 12, “Spelunky: Tally,” all revolve around death and resurrection. Though “Sifu” has stunning visuals, “New World: The Once and Future King” shines brightest. The story follows King Aelstrom (voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger), an obnoxious monarch who, along with his loyal squire Scaevola, ends up on the supernatural island of Aeternum after being shipwrecked. Even after losing his entire army to the sea, Aelstrom is determined to conquer the island and take the throne, a feat he quickly learns is way more challenging than expected. “New World” stands out because of the humor in the narrative. A buffoonish meathead, Aelstrom struggles to conquer the land. Instead, he takes his frustrations out on Scaevola, who tries time and time again to persuade the fallen sovereign to let go of his old life. Unfortunately, Aelstrom can’t quite conceive of an existence without ruling over others. 

Another standout is the ultraviolent Episode 6, “PAC-MAN: Circle.” Nearly all viewers will recognize the timeless maze and its titular protagonist, but the “Secret Level” take on the ghost-eating circle figure is unlike any previous iteration. In the 10-minute sequence, Miller presents a dark, volatile and gory sequence of creepy humanoid-like Pac-Man who must move through a maze by brutally annihilating everything in sight. Though the episode’s ending is admittedly preposterous, it’s distinctive since it vastly differs from the classic character and the rest of the show. 

“Secret Level” may have worked better if its simplistic storylines targeted children instead of adults. After all, the death and gore often feel overdone and unnecessary.  Also, since many episodes feel so superficial and even bland, this reviewer (who last played a video game in the 1990s on a yellow Game Boy Color) assumes that thrusting together different games into one generic broad umbrella will likely frustrate fans who possess a deep level of knowledge and affection for these interactive experiences. 

“Secret Level” has star power (joining Schwarzenegger are Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart and several other notable names), but dazzling animation and thrilling storylines are few and far between. Prime Video’s “Fallout” allowed gamers to linger in an intensely fun macrocosm filled with rich details, unique characters and an original story. Unfortunately, “Secret Level” presents the opposite. The series feels like a jumble of gaming commercials. For viewers who’ve never entered the gaming world, the show dissolves into disorienting snippets of stories that never reveal their true purpose or meaning.  For those who know these worlds well, the show acts as poorly written AI summaries of massive tales, all of which would have been better positioned in an opening or closing credit sequence of their respective games. 

The first eight episodes of “Secret Level” premiere Dec. 10 on Prime Video. Additional episodes drop Dec. 17.