Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots was considered an achievement when it came to sci-fi animation, and though there hasn’t been any update on the next season, it looks like Amazon will be picking up Netflix’s slack.
Fans will finally get to see Prime Video's Secret Level anthology series this December. Although the LDR (Love, Death, and Robots) vibes are clear, the show differs in that each short is based on existing video game IPs, such as Pac-Man or Mega Man.
Which Games are Included in Secret Level?
While some classics are certainly getting their own shorts in Secret Level, some newer games will also showcase cinematics.
The list of video game titles included in the series includes:
- Pac-Man
- Warhammer 40,000
- Concord
- Mega Man
- Unreal Tournament
- New World: Aeternum
- Spelunky
- Honor of Kings
- Sifu
- Dungeons & Dragons
- The Outer Worlds
- Crossfire
- Exodus
Sony’s PlayStation has also been included in the list of games, and some suspect it will be a kind of Smash Bros/MultiVersus mix-up episode where players from several IPs come together in one short. Though previous trailers have confirmed God of War mascot Kratos, other PlayStation figures coming to the game may include Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us, Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn, and maybe some classic mascots like Crash Bandicoot and Jak from Jak and Daxter.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Astro Bot also appeared since PlayStation is touting him as Sony’s Mario.
The show has a star-studded cast, including Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, Temuera Morrison, Ariana Greenblatt, Cladia Doumit, and Emily Swallow.
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+ 2Wasn’t Concord Cancelled?
It’s also sad that Concord should be included in these shorts. As many fans know, Concord was supposed to have launched by now, but after the terrible sales, the game was forced to be pulled out of the store, and the studio was effectively shut down.
This short in Secret Level was expected to give some much-needed context for the world of Concord, but with the game being canceled, it does seem like a futile reminder of what could have been.
Who knows, maybe the episode could spark interest in the game, but it’s probably a long shot; if it’s any consolation, reviews for the game were passable. It didn’t seem like players were eager for a AAA hero shooter where they had to pay, unlike Fortnite and Overwatch, which are free for anyone.
click to enlarge + 2Can You Keep a Secret?
With no future episode of Love, Death, and Robots in sight, Tim Miller’s Secret Level should scratch that itch that several fans have been having for auteur animation. With Arcane in full swing for November, the audience would be primed for more video game-based animation come the Holidays.
Let’s just hope Prime doesn’t cancel the show after one season.
Secret Level premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Dec. 10.
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