Secret Level Episode Ranking
Secret Level Episode Ranking
Not all episodes on the first Season of Secret Level were created equally, so let’s not waste any time and get into our spoiler free ranking of the part one of the anthology.
Be sure to check out the video and let me know what episode you thought was best.
15. PlayStation
The best part about all of the other episodes was that they took a microscope to the games we love. They spiked interest in learning more about a franchise we already care about. It was hard to find anything to become attached to in this episode other than the absurd amount of easter eggs.
14. Mega-Man
There is no doubt that Mega-Man is iconic. Prior to watching Secret Level, this was one episode that made me ponder its involvement. After watching it, i’m still very unsure and maybe the creators were too as there is very little substance in this episode as it’s one of the shorter episodes at around 6 or 7 minutes. The character model of Rock felt off along with his suit.
13. Crossfire
Ranking Crossfire so low, is less about it and more about the other episodes. Secret Level excelled when it focused on one main character. Crossfire featured a story about a squad trying to protect a high value target from another squad. There were great visuals, and a thrilling plot, but it was hard to find an anchor point for attachment.
12. Honor of Kings
While the source material is about a mobile MOBA game that I have never heard about and will likely never play, the story and visuals were extremely well done that felt reminiscent of Inception. This episode was loaded about metaphor and analogies about the MOBA and the prediction the future. I don’t think knowledge of the source material would have helped.
11. Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds episode captured the bleak and dystopian nature of the 2019 Obsidian title quite well. The story itself was quite funny, and the main character was quite likeable, unfortunately the conclusion of the show was a little unsatisfying, combined with the art style that we had become overly familiar with at this point.
10. Pac-Man
I was wondering how they were going to do an episode about Pac-Man, but I had no idea where Blur was going to take this one. It might only be attached to the source material by a thread, and once I was able to reconcile that it wasn’t about the game in a way that I was expecting, it was an interesting interpretation of the franchise. There was probably a better direction for the story.
9. Dungeons and Dragons
Being the first episode isn’t an easy job. The entire weight of the series is on the shoulders of these first 15 minutes. However, the story, scale and band of misfits felt reminiscent to The Fellowship of The Ring.
8. Exodus
Exodus, is an upcoming game from Archetype Entertainment, a developer of RPG’s that are a division of Wizards of the Coast and feature veterans from Naughty Dog, Bioware and other AAA studios. After watching this episode and its inter-dimensional space travel and the stories within, my anticipation for the game has risen, which is mission accomplished for Secret Level.
7. New World: Aeturnum
I know almost nothing about New World: Aeturnum other than its the MMORPG from Amazon Games that reviewed decently well. Not only does this episode feature the voice of Arnold, but the story features loads of humour, a little bit of heart and it even has a nod to an iconic scene from Predator.
6. Spelunky
Spelunky was one of the few episodes with a unique art style, which was refreshing, but it was also one of the few episodes with a lighter tone. Both of those were a breath of fresh air. Im still unsure how this small indie made its way onto Secret Level, but if there is a season two, it needs more variety like this.
5. Armored Core
If you put Keanu Reeves into anything, it immediately gets bonus points, but then this layers onthe story of an outcast, who is clearly broken from the demands of piloting an armored core. Throw in some samurai cores and you have one of the top five episodes of Secret Level.
4. Unreal Tournament
I was expecting lots of fast paced shooting and blood. What I got was a story of a corporate dominance and a robot uprising similar to Chappie. This was one of the more engaging episodes that modernized the series, but then it also gave loads of nostalgia with high BPM electronic, classic weapons like the ripper and an iconic announcer. Maybe biased, but Unreal Tournament was one of the best.
3. Warhammer 40K
I may not have been one of the five million who played Space Marine 2, but learning more about Lieutenant Titus and his origins definitely spiked my interest. As someone who has always been on the outside of the Warhammer universe looking in, Blur has done a good job of introducing newcomers and as a bonus made one probably the darkest episode.
2. Concord
It was safe to assume that Concord was probably going to be one of the better episodes of Secret Level. Thats just how the world works. It’s an absolute shame that PlayStation didn’t try to rework the assets of Concord before shutting down Firewalk, because the studio created such an interesting universe that should have been explored and this episode gives us a glimpse of what coudl’ve been. Unfortunately, it was attached to one of the hardest genres to survive. RIP Concord.
1. Sifu
Sifu was one of the best games of 2022. Secret Level took solid foundation to craft the best episode of the anthology. The cinematography was excellent, the fight scenes were visceral, and it was one of the few episodes that had a unique art style, albeit one that wasn’t too far off from the source material. The story was also bookended with heart. Without a doubt the best episode, and the hope is that it was included as a primer for a sequel announcement soon.