secret level

Secret Level is an anthology series based on the world of video games. Tim Miller is the show's creator and executive producer, while Dave Wilson serves as a supervising director and executive producer.

On December 5, 2024, Prime Video released a set of 27 still images from the series ahead of its premiere a few days later.

The first eight episodes of Secret Level premiered on December 10, 2024, with the remaining seven premiering a week later on December 17, 2024.

On December 17, 2024, the same day as the release of the second set of episodes, it was reported that thanks to strong ratings, the series had been renewed by Prime Video for a second season. Prime Video reported that the series had become their largest new animated series debut.[1]

Description

Secret Level is a new adult-animated anthology series featuring original stories set within the worlds of some of the world’s most beloved video games. From the creative minds behind LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS, each of the 15 episodes is a celebration of games and gamers.[2]

Although not officially confirmed by Prime Video, it was reported by a source described as being close to production that they will still release the Concord episode of the series despite Concord being taken entirely offline and purchasers of the title being refunded their money.[3] This was proven the case when the second set of episodes was released on December 17 with the release of the episode "Concord: Tale of the Implacable."

Episodes of Secret Level reportedly carry a runtime of anywhere from 7-20 minutes, averaging about 13 minutes each.[4]

Broadcast

Main article: Season 1

Secret Level features stories from 15 video games for a total of 15 episodes.

The episodes "Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle" and "Unreal Tournament: Xan" carry a rating of being for ages 13+, all other episodes released on December 10 carry a rating of 16+. Conversely, only "The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep" from the second set of episodes released on December 17 carries a 16+ rating, with all others rated 13+.

Production and development

Secret Level was first conceived in 2021. The series was originally pitched to Netflix, who did not want to get caught up in the legal entanglements of the numerous IPs that would be featured within the series. As such, the series was then shopped to Amazon, who received the idea happily. The series was built off of the work that had been done on Love, Death & Robots. The first season was originally slated to have 18 episodes, which would have been released in three batches. Ultimately when it came time to begin production, three episodes had to be sacrificed in order to keep the production within budget. According to co-creator Tim Miller, these three episodes will not be seen in the second season of the program, as they ended up being dropped organically anyway, due to issues such as "undue lawyering."

Regarding criticism from some quarters such as "Hold on, these assholes took Spelunky when they could have taken Halo?", Miller's response was "Man, you think that we didn't talk to Halo or something?" Dave Wilson stated that they had considered a Master Chief/Doom Slayer crossover episode, which was rejected by those holding the rights to those titles. In response to questions regarding the length of the episodes and criticism regarding the shortness of some, they noted that they wanted longer episodes also, but among, such matters came down to budget among other issues. They also stated that there was a chance that storylines from first season episodes could be continued in the second season, but tha they just don't know yet.[5]

In a bonus feature included with the series, "Honoring the Source Material," showrunners Tim Miller and Dave Wilson spoke of the importance of honoring the original vision of the titles adapted for the series. Wilson stated that he felt that oftentimes such franchises are adopted by filmmakers or other creators without an understanding of what they have in their hands and the and Miller worked closely with the developers to make sure that they were not violating tenets of the core IP. He hoped that ultimately audiences would see a reverence for the source material and that they loved this stuff as much as they do.

Cast

On October 16, 2024, a trailer for Secret Level leaked, revealing a number of main cast members for the series.[6] A few days later, Amazon confirmed this information in a press release of their own, while also announcing several additional cast members.

Promotion

Amazon is giving away codes for free games to members of its Amazon Prime service to celebrate the release of Secret Level. The titles include Spelunky, The Outer Worlds', Space Hulk: Deathwing — Enhanced Edition, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition, Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Necromunda: Hired Gun, and they can play Mega Man 11 on Amazon Luna via the Prime Gaming offer wherever Luna is available. Additionally, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will be made available December 12 and there will be a promotion for in-game items for New World: Aeternum on December 10. A number of other titles not featured on the series are also being offered. Titles are offered through Amazon's partnership with the service GOG. Some titles are being offered only for a limited time. A number of discount offers on other titles are also being offered.[8] Amazon additionally released a line of a t-shirts featuring the show's logo, as a well as a hoodie, phone case and tote bag.

Reception

As of December 5, 2024, the series has a rating of 60% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community stated that "Crafting a series that takes time to meet its gaming audience but still holds the gate open for a new one should be commended."[9] William Hughes of the AV Club, however, stated that while the series has a few standouts, it largely suffers from a lack of imagination and complained that it "boils the rich universe of gaming down to guns and sludge."[10]

Gallery

Promotional banners

Episodic images

Videos

Teaser and trailer

Episode trailers

References

  1. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (December 17, 2024). ‘Secret Level’ Renewed For Season 2 At Prime Video. Deadline. Retrieved on December 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ Secret Level. Prime Video. Retrieved on September 28, 2024.
  3. ↑ Bailey, Kat (September 5, 2024). Concord Will Remain in Prime Video's Secret Level Despite Game's Sudden Cancellation - Source. IGN. Retrieved on September 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ Radel, Felicia (December 5, 2024). 'Secret Level': Video games featured, what to know about Prime Video anthology. USA Today. Retrieved on December 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ Tamera Jones & Steven Weintraub (December 27, 2024). "You Think We Didn't Talk to Halo?": 'Secret Level's Tim Miller and Dave Wilson Have Big Plans for Season 2 and Beyond [Exclusive]. Collider. Retrieved on December 28, 2024.
  6. ↑ Coleman, Jack (October 14, 2024). Secret Level Trailer Leaks, Revealing Main Cast. The Gamer. Retrieved on October 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ Prime Video Announces Star-Studded Cast Ensemble for the Adult-Animated Anthology Series Secret Level. Prime Video (October 19, 2024). Retrieved on October 20, 2024.
  8. ↑ Leggett, Chris (December 5, 2024). Celebrate the Upcoming Premiere of Amazon Original Series “Secret Level” with these Prime Gaming Offers and Retail Savings!. Prime Gaming Blog. Retrieved on December 6, 2024.
  9. ↑ Secret Level Season 1 Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on December 5, 2024.
  10. ↑ Hughes, William (December 5, 2024). Secret Level boils the rich universe of gaming down to guns and sludge. AV Club. Retrieved on December 6, 2024.