If you’ve been following us, you should know that we love video games, especially the ones with amazing storytelling. So, of course, we were excited to see this whole new series based on different games.
Secret Level is an interesting dive into the gaming world brought to life through stunning animation. We sat down expecting something like Love, Death + Robots, and while it has its moments, the series feels like something is missing. With 15 episodes inspired by iconic games like Dungeons & Dragons, Sifu and Pac-Man, there’s plenty of creativity here, but not all of it lands as well as we’d hoped. Some episodes are gripping and beautifully executed, while others feel like they’re trying too hard to sell me on the game instead of telling a great story.
I loved the standout episodes, like Unreal Tournament: Xan & Warhammer 40,000. Armored Core was the one I was excited about! With Keanu Reeves voicing a gritty mech pilot; it had action and all the high-stakes drama but still felt that I could’ve been better. Then there were episodes like Mega Man and Playtime which felt like uninspired filler. Instead of adding depth, they leaned too much into the generic stuff and missed the opportunity to explore something new or exciting.
Visually, the series is a feast for the eyes. The animation ranges from photorealistic to stylized, and while I appreciated the artistry, sometimes the hyper-realism veered into the uncanny valley. That said, when the visuals matched the tone of the story like in Sifu or Warhammer 40,000, it was breathtaking. However, the shorter runtime of each episode often left me wanting more depth, both in the characters and the narratives.
Smash Hit Score: 7.2/10
Secret Level has flashes of brilliance, but it’s not quite the groundbreaking series I hoped it would be. It’s a fun watch if you’re into gaming and enjoy seeing these worlds come alive in new ways, but it’s not consistent enough to fully recommend. Still, we’d happily revisit some of the better episodes and hope that, in the next season, it leans more into the unique, ambitious storytelling it occasionally achieves.
All shots taken from TheMovieDB.org
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