Ever since it was announced<\/a>, there has been some confusion over just what Secret Level<\/em> actually is. The video game-themed anthology streaming on Prime Video \u2014 helmed by Love, Death & Robots<\/em><\/a> creator Tim Miller \u2014\u00a0is a collection of animated shorts, each based on a different gaming property. So there\u2019s a Mega Man<\/em> episode that explores the character\u2019s origin and a Spelunky<\/em> episode that attempts to create a metanarrative around the concept of a roguelike.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s an interesting idea let down by a lack of interesting ideas. The 15 shorts are almost universally dull and manage to neither make their source material seem compelling nor provide new insights for existing fans. The real confusion is who this is actually for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The main problem is how homogenous Secret Level<\/em> is. Working directly with game publishers, the show pulls from an oddball but also impressively global list, with titles like Chinese megahit Honor of Kings<\/em><\/a> and Korean shooter Crossfire<\/em>. But despite featuring a large variety of video games, its episodes all feel very samey. It\u2019s kind of the opposite of Love, Death & Robots<\/em>, which featured a number of different styles and tones as it explored horror and sci-fi. That\u2019s how we got beautiful episodes like the trippy \u201cThe Very Pulse of the Machine<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Secret Level<\/em>, on the other hand, mostly utilizes a gritty, hyperrealistic style that makes almost all of its episodes look identical. It\u2019s sort of like watching a nonstop barrage of cutscenes at E3 and not being able to tell the games apart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This works for some stories. The Warhammer 40,000 <\/em>episode is appropriately grimdark. But I can\u2019t say I really needed a hyperviolent take on Pac-Man. I\u2019m not kidding: the Pac-Man episode is probably the goriest in the entire series, turning a classic arcade game into a brutal survivor story with copious blood and death. (The episode\u2019s big twist is also the stupidest thing I\u2019ve seen all year, and I sat through all of Megalopolis<\/em><\/a>.) There are a handful of deviations that attempt to add some color and vibrancy, but they all end up looking like Arcane<\/em><\/a>. The worst offender is the Mega Man<\/em> episode, which tries to merge a realistic style with an anime aesthetic and just comes off as an awkward, ugly mix of the two.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s more than just how Secret Level<\/em> looks, though. The series is also dreadfully dull. The majority of episodes feel like the opening scene of a much bigger story, ending right when things seem to be getting interesting. Ideas repeat themselves a lot. There are no less than three episodes \u2014 based on Spelunky<\/em>, New World<\/em>, and Sifu<\/em><\/a> \u2014 that all try to tell a metastory about the concept of dying in a video game. And when the show does attempt some creative liberties, like with Pac-Man, it devolves into a bland attempt at edgy violence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Two of the strangest episodes are based on games you can\u2019t actually play right now. One is set in the world of the now-infamous multiplayer shooter Concord<\/em><\/a>, which was the most disastrous launch in PlayStation history<\/a>, resulting in the abrupt closure of both the game and its development studio<\/a>. The other episode is based on Exodus<\/em>, an upcoming roleplaying game published by Magic: the Gathering<\/em> company Wizards of the Coast. In another timeline, these Secret Level<\/em> episodes would be the ideal opportunity to show what makes these futuristic worlds unique and worth exploring further in a game. In reality, they make both Concord<\/em> and Exodus<\/em> seem like the most generic science fiction stories imaginable. I\u2019m struggling to come up with a single distinct thing to say about either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Really, Secret Level<\/em> is best summed up by its final episode. Called \u201cPlaytime,\u201d it follows a bike courier in a near future world that looks like an AR-infested hellscape. Very quickly, she\u2019s handed a mysterious package that pulls her into what can only be described as a PlayStation commercial. She\u2019s chased by Helldivers<\/em> soldiers, avoids attacks from Kratos, and has a sweet moment with Sackboy. There\u2019s no story. It\u2019s a collection of Easter eggs tied to a brand, a chance to spot things you recognize from playing the games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Across its 15 episodes, Secret Level<\/em> fails to explain why any of these worlds are worth exploring, while at the same time failing to offer anything new for those already in the know. It sits in an awkward, empty middle ground. After watching all of it, I\u2019m somehow more confused than before I started.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n