User reviews

I've always wanted a series like this. When watching cinematic trailers or cutscenes for video games I've often thought that some would make for peak television.

I knew the creators of love death and robots would nail another animated anthology series and am glad to be proven right. The Warhammer episode was definitely the highlight for me so far I really hope to see more in the future. My only complaint would to be given more time for certain episodes.

There are so many solid video game stories that this show can delve into and adapt into fleshed out episodes, the possibilities are very exciting and I'm glad they've gone for a more gritty and adult tone throughout. I am very pleased with what's been shown so far and am anticipating what's to come.

All the episodes except few felt like game trailers, like what's the point of even making them if it's over before the conclusion. They have no plot elements or any kind of character developments. Few had very well laid out foundations and its execution was also well done. Ex: I was looking something in mega man episode. Maybe the next season they try a different approach.

So far the best ones are Warhammer, Unreal tournament and Armoured Core. These episodes have the best overall narrative which can be enjoyed as a story. Others were not bad but they felt like an afterthought or like a game trailer.

I was really disappointed when I saw critics say this show was just mid. I've watched it and all I can say is most of the critics are wrong. I really enjoyed this show! The episodes could have been longer, that's my only gripe honestly. If you love video games, definitely check this show out. It's a quick watch too. Now I want to go play some of these games again after seeing their episodes. I would imagine the whole point of Secret Level is to attract new players, and in that regard, I think they succeeded. There was heart in a lot of the episodes too, which I also really liked. Hopefully this show does well enough to warrant a season 2. If they do make a season 2, the only thing I think they need to improve upon is the length of the episodes. I really, really wished they were all at least 20 minutes. Overall though, I'm thankful we got this show because video games mean a lot to a lot of people, myself included. Thank you to all of the people who worked hard to bring us this show. You guys rock!

You will get entertained here. Some episodes are good, some are great, some are just incredible. You need to make that decision for yourself. For me, 1.5 "You Shall know no fear" is the best of the bunch, but 1.5 is the best animation of Warhammer history and it does everything right. My god, it was unbelievably good. That said, there is no reason to read my review, go watch the episodes instead and choose your best one.

I knew that the creators of love death and robots knew how to nail animated short stories, but this simply is amazing. We need more of it.

And we simply require more of the Warhammer Universe. Exactly! As shown here.

If you've seen Love Death and Robots you know what you're in for. Each episode is short, but packed with action, they aren't meant to be some long stories. Don't listen to IGN, they were wrong about the penguin and they're wrong about secret level. Sit back and enjoy these short stories, they're amazing.

Although each episode is short, they feel like a quest within the game, leaving you feeling nostalgic as if reliving the glory days of your childhood playing the game either late at night or with a group of friends. Take the series for what it is, and we'll surely see more with some potential spin offs and maybe some limited series for some fan favourite episodes.

I don't know how they managed to separate the first season into 2 complete separate quality parts. First was pretty good, I would rate it a solid 8, especially the Warhammer 40k episode, that was a 10.

And now we get to the second part, every episode was bad and mediocre. I had to skip the Concorde one, irritating, the last was so cringe that had to skip again. The only watchable episode was the Exodus one. Meh, what a letdown. Finish a season on the lowest quality episode.

I had to change my initial 8 score to 6, and that is even gracious. Do better for season 2!

I had to change my initial 8 score to 6, and that is even gracious. Do better for season 2!

I've always had mixed feelings about anthology series. There's something frustrating about getting invested in an episode only to realize that's all there is to it. You might think the upside is that an anthology won't drag on endlessly, and, well, you'd be right! But still, I find myself craving that deeper connection that longer series offer.

When I heard that "Secret Level" was an anthology based on existing video game IPs, I thought it might be a decent change of pace. I'm a gamer, after all, so I figured I'd feel at home in these familiar universes. And for the most part, I was right - Season 1 of "Secret Level" does a commendable job with its stories, and I found quite a few episodes that really stood out.

The first episode that grabbed my attention featured none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, who finds himself trapped on an island called Eternia, reliving his demise over and over again. It's a playful twist on the classic "Groundhog Day" concept and has more than a nod to 1950s cinema like "Jason and the Argonauts." I didn't realize which game IP it was based on, but honestly, I didn't even care. Arnold's humor shone through, and the 15-20 minute runtime felt just right. The animation was fantastic too- I could have mistaken it for a high-quality CGI feature.

Another standout was the episode tied to the upcoming game "Exodus." Picture "Interstellar" mixed with rebels in space, and you'll get the idea. The emotional core of this one revolves around a father searching for his daughter over many years, and it left a lasting impact on me. I genuinely can't wait for the game to drop! The voice acting, especially Michael Beach as the father, elevated this episode and added depth to the storyline.

Then there was the segment based on "Armored Core." I've never played it, but wow, I was impressed! It had the makings of a captivating series or movie. Keanu Reeves, typically more stoic, brought out genuine emotion in this role. I couldn't help but feel a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of Renny Harlin or Shane Black films, even if those directors are tangentially related to mechs. The atmosphere was gritty and snowy, adding to the experience.

While a few episodes didn't quite hit the mark for me-like those based on "Sifu" and "Mega Man"-they weren't terrible. They just felt too rushed, particularly "Mega Man." At around five minutes, I expected a punchy story, but it ended feeling more like a tease rather than a satisfying sip of water after a long run.

The finale felt a bit strange, as it seemed to showcase a mix of Sony's IPs, but it also exuded a vibe of uncertainty on how to wrap things up. It was enjoyable, just lacking a smooth conclusion.

Overall, I found "Secret Level" to be a delightful watch. It's the kind of show you can enjoy without needing to dedicate all your attention to it since each episode is a self-contained story. Plus, none of them were outright boring. I give it a solid 8/10 - a fun ride for gamers and casual viewers alike!

The animation is beautiful, that is undeniable. I struggle to get excited about such short episodes though. They seem like apprentice attempts. Can't get fully enthralled as you know it's over before you can even get any sort of connection with the characters. Was nice to see some celebrity involvement. Reeves and Arnie both play enjoyable parts. It's just all a little too experimental and depthless for me. Additionally If I was given the chance to choose the source material. I reckon I would have chosen a completely different set of games to revere. The Pacman episode was o.k. But was a demonstration of taking artistic licence to its absolute limit. It made me laugh at least. Overall I found the whole series to be a little underwhelming. 6 for the visuals.

This is one of the greatest things i've ever watched the 40k episode is peak fiction i've never felt more blessed by the emperors holy light than i did watching that first fight sequence 39 times it's so nice to see my favorite franchise finally having a high budget good quality adaptation into a show. Im not like a massive fan of any of the other episodes but i can also recognize they are really well done and you can tell there was a lot of thought and care put into it. Anyone that thinks it's a bad show either hasn't played any of the games here or know anything about the IP or they are nitpicking and looking for flaws. FOR THE EMPEROR! FOR THE RAVEN XIX.

Short stories within the setting of video games. Or very loosely based on the setting of the games. Very different games, ranging from Pac-Man to Warhammer 40.000. Even Concord, where I assume the creators have been cursing themselves when seeing what that game ended up being.

It's mainly meh stories about mostly mediocre-at-best games I often have hardly even heard about. The visuals are great though. But except for one or two out outliers there is little substance. I am sure the cutscenes for most of those game were better. Let's not compare this to anthology shows like Black Mirror or Love Death and Robots.

Still. It's made by people that seem to be gamers.

Well, what can I say except wow.

That was amazing.

Every episode until now (8 so far) are amazing in each way. The creativity combined with lore and adaption of originals unfolds beautifully.

There are episodes which show the amazing game they portray in a beautiful way. And then there are episodes showing a magnificent story with amazing Production.

I am totally in love. What a roller coaster of emotions. Hearing some of my favorite actors playing a role you wouldn't have expected them in and nailing it is fantastic in a different way.

I can only say, give it a try, but damn, episode 5 is incredible in its own way.

A lot of wasted potential, that's how I would define what happened with "Secret Level", I could also say that it was "Love, death and Robots" but bad.

This Amazon bet, which although it turned out fantastic (record viewing and confirmed a second season), did not seem to me to have lived up to expectations.

It bets only on one type of animation, it hardly experiments and we are only left with hyperrealism, which although it works for some chapters, it is not the solution to everything. Although the comparison with the Netflix series can be annoying, I think it is a great point of support when we evaluate "Secret Level" in general.

Another thing that was not right was dividing the episodes into two batches, with a first part that is far superior to the second in terms of quality and variety. Ending with a totally malicious Play Station advertisement.

When one thinks about the possibilities, the limits are infinite, however, in practice, only 4-5 chapters are rescued at most. Warhammer 40000 is the best episode without a doubt and I suppose I breathe a sigh of relief thinking about the series that Henry Cavill will star in in the future. It looks great, it's impressive, just a few minutes are enough to be inside the franchise.

Unreal Tournament was another episode that I liked, in that fight of the machines for survival against the corporation that wants to destroy them. It gives a little more in terms of the philosophical concept of the machines and their feeling.

The Pac-Man episode, although predictable, I also liked, it experiments with animation and is extremely dark, one of the few in that sense.

Honor of Kings, which has nothing to do with the LOL plagiarism game but has a very interesting background and concept. At the same time, it is the only episode of the second batch that is very good.

I hope that the next season is much better than this one and that great intellectual properties are included and that classics like Megaman are respected, which was a shame here.

Secret level is just a bunch of generic video game trailers packed as animated shorts anthology. No story is never told and so far episodes range from very average to fairly entertaining. Graphically nice but in terms of creativity it's abysmal.

Most of the reviews (after a fast check, these are many accounts created in December 2024, with no other activity than this serie) that give ridiculous ratings like 9/10 or 10/10 are forced to point out that the creators of this anthology are the same as those behind Love, Death and Robots in order to give this some credibility, but make no mistake, while it looks and feels the same, it tastes bland.

A couple of cool episodes aside, Secret Level feels like a monument to mediocrity. The writing is painfully mid, dragging the whole show down despite the undeniably impressive visuals-though even those feel like reheated leftovers from a decade of superior video game cinematics. Honestly, what is this show trying to do or say that hasn't been done (and done better) by video game marketing in the past 10+ years?

The lineup of titles is baffling. Where are the big names? The absence of heavy hitters screams one thing: developers wanted no part of this trainwreck or were waiting to see if Season 1 could stick the landing. Spoiler alert-it didn't.

Short-form storytelling seems to completely elude the creators. What should have been tight, impactful, and memorable comes across as disjointed and uninspired. Variety called it an "uninspired snooze," and for once, Variety wasn't being harsh enough.

Secret Level is proof that flashy visuals can't hide a lack of vision, heart, or originality!

Expanding the video game media with content made by talented fans with unlimited budget seems wonderful right ?

Well, ladies and gentlemen it is !

The first 8 episodes were great, each one encapsulating the universe they chose for it.

I've seen critics saying they didn't take chances with the show. Have you seen the pac man episode ? Because I did, and seems to me like they took one hell of a chance there.

The show is stunning, each graphic style seems well chosen and mastered (as we would expect from the love death and robot team)

it's a good omen for the future let's hope it allows the video game media to expand even beyond.

It's filled with Easter eggs without the annoyance of the show pointing me in the direction of every details screaming at me HAVE YOU PLAYED THE GAME ???

And in the world we live in, this is already incredible.

This is the first time people who actually love the game took chances at expanding the media and pleasing us, the fans.

But the beauty of it is that even for people that never played the games, can enjoy, understand and feel empathy for the characters and this seems like a big challenge that they overcame to me.

The show has cons too obviously, some episodes weren't as great as the others (I'm looking at you new world).

Yes, some episodes were short, yes some jokes were a little bit off, I never said it was perfect, just that it was awesome.

Thru the shrewd notion of deploying an animated series that delves into video game subculture, "Secret Level" brings an appealing premise to younger audiences. Production quality across these episodes varies greatly: presenting decent graphics and stunning action sequences at best, while, at worst, dumping haphazard writing, leaving viewers frustrated and confused. Both good and bad voice acting and recording, decent and laughable script writing, as well as excitement and boredom, "Secret Level" presents the entire gamut across its varied installments. In general, "Secret Level" is a smart concept, generally well executed and truly worth watching, due to the quality of most of its productions. A second season would certainly be wonderful, and if you agree, then your viewership matters.

When I started watching this series, I wasn't sure what to expect. The animation in almost all the episodes is just absolutely amazing. This is what major animated movies should look like. The action is often intense and graphic. The voice acting is very well done. Many episodes give you an interesting insight to the game it is based on. However, here is a HUGE problem with the series. If you are unfamiliar with the game there is a lack of context, and the episode becomes a glorified game trailer at best. The episodes are too short to provide anything more, unless you know the game. And even then, there isn't time to further develop characters or game concepts. If episodes were longer it would be a much better series.

Only a couple episodes in and this is a far cry from the likes of Love, Death and Robots. Miller really did not cook with this unfortunately.

Visually, it is awesome with beautiful art direction and great animations. However, it does not apply with the characters and plot. Obviously you have to play these games to fully understand them but they did a terrible job with the writing. Stuff just happens. You see them done better before. I feel no creativity, no passion, only a hollow display of graphical display. For comparison, some chapters in Miller's previous work were actually thought-provoking, dramatic even with minimal voice acting. Here, there are no stakes, imagination nor intelligence.

6/10. It's a shame, I've been waiting for weeks.

Overall, I'd say this first batch delivers 2 VERY GOOD episodes out of 8. The rest range from decent to mediocre.

The covered games are (in order) Dungeons & Dragons, Sifu, New World, Unreal Tournament*, Warhammer 40,000*, Pac-Man(?), CROSSFIRE and ARMORED CORE.

They all have distinct visual styles, but are all very competent visually. From models, to cinematography, and effects. The voice cast is okay and the action is probably the reason to watch. Yet, I'm not entirely sure as to what the intention and purpose of these are. Some giving hope of a revival for a dead franchise or expanding into a new medium, other working as a brief summary of part of the game, another delivering a rather dark and incompatible perspective of it by taking too many creative liberties.. At least they are short (no more than 20 minutes) and are entertaining enough.. and some fans might find satisfaction with some of them.

Gotta wait for the rest.

Blur are the studio behind one of Love, Death & Robots' best episodes, the introductory Sonnie's Edge. They're also behind a spate of iconic games, from 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein to this year's Black Ops 6.

In Secret Level, Amazon's answer to NETFLIX's LD&R, they are in their native element. Adding their take in the form of 'secret levels' to 15 game franchises in form of 15 episodes of varying length, they aim for the wow.

And succeed- visually. Jaw dropping visuals abound, from the photorealism of Crossfire to Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons to the more stylized world of Sifu.

Violence abounds, blood flows by the hectoliter, entrails spill, creatures and humans meet their brutal ends, things are generally grim, there's little to no humor.

What's missing is coherence and sense. With an exception of two, plots and storylines are simplistic and negligible or ridiculous.

There are repetitive elements; flashbacks, voice overs, inner voices, all spouting nonsense

As hollow, instantly forgettable entertainment, it's a hit.

Like Netflix's "Love Death + Robots", and "Oat Studios" short genre format samplers, Prime Video's offering of "Secret Level" is a varied sampler plate for casual digi-animated Sci Fi and video game enthusiasts.

"Secret Level" features eight standalone short episode vignettes based on recently released video games.

Viewers who appreciate digital-animated Sci Fi, video games, and short format animation will probably enjoy and appreciate the creative, economical presentations.

The strong standouts in the series true to their video game roots include: The War Hammer and Armored Core segments.

For Arnold Schwarzenegger fans and Ultra-Nerds there were a couple grin-inducing Easter eggs to be enjoyed in the New World: Aeternum episode.

Like Netflix's "Love Death + Robots", and "Oat Studios" short genre format samplers, Prime Video's offering of "Secret Level" is a varied sampler plate for casual digi-animated Sci Fi and video game enthusiasts.

"Secret Level" is good, strong addition to the "Love Death + Robots", and "Oat Studios" short genre format sampler genre,

Let me start with this... you will be left wanting more. At least for me, I was astonished by some of the worlds they managed to wonderfully recreate here, while also telling a great story on them.

Coming from the creator of Love Death + Robots, someone could expect high quality. Indeed, that was delivered. Most of the episodes have an excellent pace, rhythm, script, cinematography, direction as well as interesting themes about humanity, friendship, etc.

My highlights were the episodes: Episode 8 - Armored Core: Asset Management. Besides being a fan of Armored Core, I was left astonished by the way they've managed to perfectly capture the feeling of this universe, the high stakes of each fight the ACs have, and the pilots' -in some occasions- struggles to live in this world knowing what they are.

Also, episode 3 - New World: The Once and Future King.

Great delivery by Arnold, great comedy, amazing pace and comforting message in the end about what's really important. This episode is a mix of feelings, and how they manage to tell it in such a short time, is something to praise. Also, many references on how us the players feel while starting a new adventure in a aRPG: gearing up, being low level, grinding, etc.

Finally episode 1 - Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle. AMAZING. Epic fantasy. Again, the pace and the direction is on point. Great characters and dialogues. The peace moves forward all the time, ending in a wonderful climax and... you are left wanting more.

And then it just ends.

Some of the episodes reached my soul, and left me thinking about the themes they touched on. I'm a gamer so of course I was geeking out the entire time, but also I look for good story telling, and this had it all. If you like anthologies such as Black Mirror, and happen to be a gamer, then this may be one of the best things to watch now.

I had no idea about this coming out until a day before release from a random video on YT for the armored core ep. It got me hyped up and after watching the whole series twice it is epic, wish the episodes were longer. Happy to see something good come out since most tings now are crap.

2 episodes were ok, but beautifully done, the rest are just magnificent can't wait for season 2 and maybe part 2 of a couple of these.... why not.

I don't want to give out any spoilers in my review but even if you haven't played most of the games featured ( i havent) the ones that I didn't recognize were good even tho I don't know the background, the ones you do know have that special feeling like AC.