Amazon is releasing individual trailers for its upcoming animated series “Secret Level,” which promises to deliver new stories set in familiar video game worlds. The show, spanning 15 episodes, comes from the creative team behind Netflix’s “Love, Death & Robots” and heavily features flashy CGI animation. The Amazon inaugural season includes episodes inspired by popular video games such as “Armored Core,” “Concord,” “Crossfire,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Exodus,” “Honor of Kings,” “Mega Man,” “New World: Aeternum,” “Pac-Man,” “Spelunky,” and “Warhammer 40K.” Several games from PlayStation Studios will also be featured.
Amazon is publishing 20-second teaser trailers for each episode on social media, giving fans a sneak peek at what to expect. The “Concord” episode is particularly noteworthy as it is an unexpected tribute to Sony’s creative efforts despite the game’s short-lived existence. Secret Level” boasts an impressive cast, including Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Clive Standen, and Laura Bailey.
Secret Level’s impressive cast disclosed
The series will be available for streaming on Prime Video starting December 10th. One of the most intriguing episodes is the reimagining of the classic arcade game “Pac-Man.” Series creator Tim Miller describes it as their “bloodiest episode ever.” The story follows a lone, cloaked swordsman trekking across an apocalyptic wasteland guided by Puck, a golden, floating orb.
The episode, directed by Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres, draws inspiration from narratives like John Melius’ “Conan the Barbarian” and the sci-fi anthology series “Black Mirror.” While elements of the game’s DNA are retained, they are distorted into a dark reflection suitable for modern, mature audiences. Emily Swallow, who voices Puck, reflects on the episode’s disturbing nature, saying, “My associations with ‘Pac-Man’ were very surface level, but the underbelly of stories we tell, those shadows, always intrigue me.”
The team behind “Secret Level” acknowledges that while they’ve taken creative liberties, they strive to respect the spirit of classic games. The “Pac-Man” episode was well-received at New York Comic-Con, suggesting that these dark reimaginings have a receptive audience, even if some reactions may be mixed.
With its creative reimagining, “Secret Level’s” “Pac-Man” episode is set to intrigue and possibly unsettle fans of both the game and the series. As Tim Miller puts it, “Some folks might expect something else and then think, ‘What the f— was that?’ But we hope, gamer or not, viewers will walk away thinking, ‘Wow, that was rad.'”
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
