My Thoughts on the Series, Secret Level, Season One…

Bingeing Secret Level is like reading a collection of flash fiction—short films/stories with only plot elements and not full plots. The “flash fiction” here includes games, mostly video games. And, like all flash fiction, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.

The season opens with a story set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, a beloved and timeless tabletop role-playing game if there ever was one. The story works and is quite compelling. Other episodes from other classic and contemporary video games—Pac-Man, Sifu, and Unreal Tournament—are also on display during Season One.

As homages to our favorite games, how can these short episodes (from eight to nineteen minutes in length) fall short of our expectations? Well, some do. Episode 6, “PAC-MAN: Circle,” introduces convoluted worldbuilding that undermines the story within, if not the game itself. If this episode had been presented as anything other than a tribute to the cherished game, it might have worked.

The digital animation is, of course, top-notch, including different kinds of camera shots found in live-action films. All of these work in every episode, but it’s the stories that fall flat at times. No breathtaking establishing shot can make up for poor script writing.

All in all, since it took less than four hours to binge this season—and we all know the legendary endurance gamers have—I would recommend it to gamers and animation fans. And since the season is episodic, you can walk away after certain installments leave a bad taste in your mouth.