Amazon's Secret Level

[FakeSympathy]

In case you haven't heard, this is an animated series you can watch on Amazon Prime. Each episode covers different games. They are all 15-20 min watch per episode (some being under 10), which makes them easier to digest for people who hate binge-watching like me.

This also has a downside, where in each episode there aren't really in-depth moments that explore the characters and the world. They play like a side quest and unless you are a megafan you won't really get them.

There are 8 episodes at release, so I'll cover them real quick. But do know you really won't get much beyond my description

Episode 1: DnD
The adventure party is trying to bring a boy to a mysterious oracle. Not sure if DnD belongs in this series, since it started as a tabletop RPG. The spells, talents, and enemies are all recognizable (used to play a bit myself), but you don't really get to know these characters that well

Episode 2: Sifu
It pretty much sums up the entire game in under 9 min. Although I guess it does give light to a gentle side of Yang, something we don't really see in the game

Episode 3: New World
Based on that crappy MMO that Amazon tried to launch. At first I groaned, this probably was shoe-horned in because Amazon was paying the creators and they wanted something of their make to fit into the show. But it had a surprisingly nice message about growth as an individual. Hilariously, the MC is voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he is a perfect fit for this role.It's rather a good portrayal of player behavior whenever they have to face the same challenge over and over again.

Episode 4: Unreal Tournament
Given the game is an arena shooter, I didn't even know it had a lore. And with my limited knowledge of the game, it's hard to comment. It turns out these tournaments are actual in-lore game shows. Is Xan a part of the regular roster?

Episode 5: Warhammer 40k
Clive Standen is back again as Titus, whose job is to service the emperor and cleanse the universe of filth in this grim, dark, bloody universe. And holy shit, this felt like a cutscene from one of the WH 40k games. Not much dialog or one-liners here. though. The attention to detail on the marine's armor is awesome, as you can see their suits getting damaged over time.

Episode 6: Pac-Man
Yeah, title alone made me raise my eyebrows; The arcade game didn't have much backstory, to my knowledge. But if this was an attempt to add one, then it's a great attempt. All the in-game elements are now given more characters. It's an artistic sci-fi take on the game, especially on how Pac-Man can respawn repeatedly. I was kinda hoping for a creative remix on the death sfx, but there isn't one. Damn it

Episode 7: Crossfire
In case you never heard of it, it's based on an online fps game that tried and failed to take over COD. There really isn't any lore to begin with, so I feel this was a very typical military drama added to fit in the theme of the game. There's this whole theme of "we're not the bad guys", which is something that you can see in every military drama. Honestly, kudos to them for making these soldiers not represent any nations, just a bunch of mercs. But that doesn't save it from being a plot that you've seen dozens of times. Like, all the character personalities, the action sequences, and the aesthetics all feel unoriginal.

Episode 8: Armored Core
It attempts to give more story to the humans, starring Keanu Reeves as the mc. And just like Arnold in episode 3, he's doing a great job here. A lot of Johnny Silverhand vibe, just set in Ac world. The AC designs are actually fucking amazing. And it does a great job at scaling the size of these cores with humans; they are huge!

So far, I'd say this show is worth watching.

 

[Chimpzy]

Episode 4: Unreal Tournament
Given the game is an arena shooter, I didn't even know it had a lore. And with my limited knowledge of the game, it's hard to comment. Turns out these tournaments are actual in-lore game shows. Is Xan a part of regular roster?

Yes, Xan is from the games. Sort of. There is a robot character called Xan Kriegor who serves as the final boss, basically the hardest bot, of the single player ladder, tho this Xan looks quite different and has a different backstory. Samael, the undead looking bodyguard captain, is also from the games, as is Garog, the team leader of the aliens with the big mandibles. Aside from that, all of the weapons are from the games, and all of the arenas are facsimiles of classic maps. Kinda missed seeing someone do a shock rifle combo tho.

Episode 5: Warhammer 40k
Clive Standen is back again as Titus, whose job is to service the emperor and clease the universe of filth in this grim, dark, bloody universe. And holy shit, this felt like cutscene from one of the WH 40k games. Not much dialog or one liners here. though. The attention to details on the marine's armor are awesome, as you can see their suits getting damaged over time.

I disagree about it feeling like a 40k game cutscene. It feels like a spiritual successor to the Astartes fan animation. The Marines dispassionate efficiency, the economy of movement in their fighting, the inexorable advance, that all reminds a lot of Astartes. Tho the creator from those shorts was involved in this one, so maybe that's not a huge surprise.

 

[meiam]

Episode 8: Armored Core
It attempts to give more story to the humans, starring Keanu Reeves as the mc. And just like Arnold in episode 3, he's doing a great job here. A lot of Johnny Silverhand vibe, just set in Ac world. The AC designs are actually fucking amazing. And it does a great job at scaling the size of these cores with human; they are huge!

Sigh this is what I was afraid of.

Ac is all about mechs and just the mechs. Across all the entry (15+) I don't think there's even a single human character face visible. The franchise could be renamed "Mech are fucking awesome!". And they turn around and make it about the show about human, like we don't already have a fucking billions of of those already.

 

[FakeSympathy]

Yes, Xan is from the games. Sort of. There is a robot character called Xan Kriegor who serves as the final boss, basically the hardest bot, of the single player ladder, tho this Xan looks quite different and has a different backstory. Samael, the undead looking bodyguard captain, is also from the games, as is Garog, the team leader of the aliens with the big mandibles. Aside from that, all of the weapons are from the games, and all of the arenas are facsimiles of classic maps. Kinda missed seeing someone do a shock rifle combo tho.

Huh. Shows how much I know lol. I was also surprised to see rocket jump not being featured in the episode.

Sigh this is what I was afraid of.

Ac is all about mechs and just the mechs. Across all the entry (15+) I don't think there's even a single human character face visible. The franchise could be renamed "Mech are fucking awesome!". And they turn around and make it about the show about human, like we don't already have a fucking billions of of those already.

AC6 did give more character to this pilots, and without even knowing how thy look like, they still have amazing personalities. Here the AC actions are still there. But it asks the question "Behind the shell, are we all the same human beings?" And Keanu definitely carries the role, because the mc is a typical character that you can find in any other plots.

 

[Gordon_4]

Sigh this is what I was afraid of.

Ac is all about mechs and just the mechs. Across all the entry (15+) I don't think there's even a single human character face visible. The franchise could be renamed "Mech are fucking awesome!". And they turn around and make it about the show about human, like we don't already have a fucking billions of of those already.

That concept only works for a show if the mechs themselves have a personality - Transformers for example, or Thomas the Tank Engine - but it’s a godawful idea to carry non-interactive fiction. However in the spirit of your truism about AC being all about the mechs, they should have just have the dialogue be radio chatter.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I only watched Sifu, 40K, and Armored Core.

Honestly, I thought they were all fantastic animations, but I was expecting more. They all seem so short, and in the case of the 40K one, I thought the original Astartes animation was more impressive and interesting.

Idk, I felt like I was watching a bunch of fan animations on YouTube rather than an anthology series on TV. Maybe the other episodes have more meat to them.

 

[Chimpzy]

Saw the second batch of episodes. Out of these seven, I liked the Spelunky episode and that for Honor of Kings, some moba I've never heard of before, but it had some ideas I enjoyed. Edgy Mega Man was kinda amusing, but too short. Oh, and the Concord episode is in this set too. It's mid, but not the worst of the bunch.

That would the final episode, which is called Playtime, but is really a base Playstation plug, and fuck me, that shit was cringe.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Only saw the first three so far. Really like the bite-sized episode format for something like this; it works perfectly as a nightcap.

The Sifu one makes me want to play the game, and the Arnold one was pretty amusing. I like how they respected Sifu’s art style and animation.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm going to have to check this out since I do have a prime account.

 

[FakeSympathy]

The second batch, episodes 9 -15 is here!

Episode 9: The Outer Worlds

So this stars an original NPC, who is going through some horrendous science experiments to meet up with a female scientist whom he has a crush on. It's so in-lore with the game's world-building. In fact, I am pretty sure I visited this testing facility in the game. Of course, our dumb hero smartens-up, and realizes how fucked-up this is. I mean I only got to read how Auntie Cleo operates in the game, but actually seeing it is a whole different story. It starts being hilarious, but holy shit does it get dark.

Episode 10: Mega Man

Funny thing, I was just talking about how much I miss this franchise over on the general gaming news thread. The art style is definitely something new, as they try to put their spin on concepts found in the main games. There's also a badass re-rendition from one of the original soundtrack.

Episode 11: Exodus

So this is based on an upcoming sci-fi game. In fact, I think the debut trailer was released today alongside this episode coming out. Because it's a new IP, no one knows about this world, and this is pretty much how we are introduced to this world. A father is trying to find his daughter across the galaxy. They are taking a page from Interstellar where time flows differently for the dad and the daughter....because of space travel mungo-jumbo. Now I both love and am skeptical whenever there's anew new sci-fi IP, because they are always hit or miss. But here, I think there is a real shot; great world-building, cool alien and character designs, and there's an actual debt to it. Just hoping the actual game will be like this.

Episode 12: Spelunky

Based on that cave-exploration indie game. Specifically, the second game. I am not familiar with this series at all, other than the name. Still it was pretty amusing, love the art style of the episode. The death count is pretty funny. Kinda like with the New World episode, I think this is a nice exploration of why we keep try to face the challenges again and again. Because in the end, despite all the numerious failures, it all makes it worth it in the end.

Episode 13: Concord

Alright, here we go with the game that everyone mocked. This episode made me angry, not because it was bad, but because we lost something that could've been something amazing. No really. The character personalities and the world setting is fucking cool and funny. It's actually reminiscent of Mass Effect's Normandy crew and party members were like.... TOO BAD THE DEVS DECIDED TO FUCK IT ALL UP!!!!! I fucking hate whenever shit like this happen in gaming industry, which seem to be becoming more frequent.

Episode 14: Honor of Kings

Based on a mobile game....Really? Once again I have no experience with thie game. Why is it here? It's clearly not as well-known as other games covered. I mean the world setting and characters are cool, but I doubt the actual game is this interesting. Had a nice message about illusion of control and free will, though

Episode 15: Playtime

So this episode is more of a compliation of easter eggs and references of different games, rather than focusing on one. Specifically, Sony games. We got Helldivers 2, Shadow of Colossus, God of War, and Little Big Planet. Might be a great episode for Sony fans, but not me. I mean I feel they could've fit in more Playstation games here. GOW was also super misleading, because I geinuely thought we were gonna get GOW-specific episode.

Conclusion:

That is it for season 1, and season 2 has already been greenlit as of this post. Some episodes were just okay, others were really well done, and some like Crossfire doesn't feel it belongs there. I'd say you can definitely skip some episodes for games that you aren't interested in. It's a hit or miss per episode

I'd say my favorites were New World, Armored Core, Mega Man, Outher Worlds, Pac-man, Spelunky, and sifu.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

I'm going to have to check this out since I do have a prime account.

If nothing else you will at least like the Sifu episode.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Wasn't this going to have a God of War episode?

 

[FakeSympathy]

Wasn't this going to have a God of War episode?

It was a fucking misleading marketing (read my review on episode 15)

 

[BrawlMan]

If nothing else you will at least like the Sifu episode.

That's the first one I am going to watch.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Is it true that the Control episode features characters who weren't part of the game's launch? Hence supposedly serving as a teaser for post launch content?

 

[FakeSympathy]

Is it true that the Control episode features characters who weren't part of the game's launch? Hence supposedly serving as a teaser for post launch content?

Yeah, it definitely felt like one of those animated shorts that gets released along with the game. The story goes that during the tail-end of the game's development, the episode was also being made in collab work with the game devs. Nobody expected the game to die off that fast.

Like I said, a damn shame it happened. The world-building and characters were completely wasted

 

[ExtraWildGames]

God. I wanted so much more from that Armored Core episode cuz it was so good.

 

[FakeSympathy]

God. I wanted so much more from that Armored Core episode cuz it was so good.

Yes, I do think that's the downside of having bite-size episodes. It looks like 20 min was the limit, and each episode definitely should've taken advantage of that.

 

[BrawlMan]

Episode 6: Pac-Man
Yeah, title alone made me raise my eyebrows; The arcade game didn't have much backstory, to my knowledge. But if this was an attempt to add one, then it's a great attempt. All the in-game elements are now given more characters. It's an artistic sci-fi take on the game, especially on how Pac-Man can respawn repeatedly. I was kinda hoping for a creative remix on the death sfx, but there isn't one. Damn it

It's a promotion for the Shadow Labyrinth game. The dark and edgy take on Pac-Man. Seeing that short gave me Bomberman Act Zero vibes in terms of looks, but not shitty gameplay.

I picked only the the shorts that interested me, but Sifu and Spelunky are my top 2 favorites. Spelunky I've never played, but I've seen people play it. My other favorite is the Armored Core episode. D&D was okay, and Mega Man episode needs to be a full mini series.

 

[FakeSympathy]

It's a promotion for the Shadow Labyrinth game. The dark and edgy take on Pac-Man. Seeing that short gave me Bomberman Act Zero vibes in terms of looks, but not shitty gameplay.

Yes I made the connection like 5 days later lol. Personally not the biggest fan of the two episodes that are promos for upcoming games. Don't get me wrong, I loved the animation, but I feel those two could've been replaced with more established games.

They could've been their own shorts on youtube.