At its best, “Secret Level” succinctly conveys the appeal of its characters and the worlds in which they live. The evil corporation and the oppressed robots in the episode “Unreal Tournament” may not be particularly resourceful, but they quickly and clearly identify who we should be rooting for. The Outer Worlds Drives one of the few non-action episodes, with the charming story of a thug who signs himself up as a test subject to pursue the boss he loves. Sure, it features one of the aforementioned death montages, but it’s also the only episode to anchor characters who seem flawed and human rather than boring plot functions.

However, such small triumphs are rare. As I watched one sluggish episode after another, I wondered if the choice of games was the problem. When you look at what’s being adapted here, it’s hard not to wonder how much of “Secret Level” is intended as a marketing ploy. One episode takes place in the starry future world of Exodusa game that isn’t even available yet (although after watching what amounts to an extended promo on Prime Video, you might be interested in one tie-in novel can you buy on Amazon?). There’s a strong representation of live service games – including Sony’s unfortunate one Concordwhich, in a truly unfortunate interplay of cross-media synergies, led to is no longer playable. The finale, which breaks up the format and places several PlayStation franchises in an original setting, feels so much like a commercial that it might as well end with the platform’s logo and signature farewell voice.

But to Secret Level’s credit, I didn’t always feel like I was being sold something. New world is an Amazon-developed game whose console release was just a few months ago, but I have no clearer idea of ​​how it plays or why I should play it than before. The episode just tells me that there is a magical island where anyone who dies is resurrected on the beach, and from that point on we watch the comedic misfortunes of a pompous nobleman, voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. These appear to be serious attempts to tell “real” stories in the world of each game, even if they don’t capitalize on the strengths of a franchise: The Armored core The episode has more in common with a CGI Keanu Reeves in a cockpit than the detailed mech customization that forms the cornerstone of the series.

The bigger problem is that most of the stories aren’t so good that the very idea behind Secret Level seems flawed. The fact that there are so many recognizable brands taking center stage limits an already restrictive setup. Not only do Miller and company have to overcome the usual difficulties of anthology television to tell a satisfying, self-contained story, but they also have to do so in environments that are designed more for game mechanics than for efficient, original storytelling (quite never mind that they do it). i.e. through animation). The philosophical episode “Honor of Kings,” for example, has a decent script but is full of distracting fantasy flourishes that I can only assume relate to the game’s setting; The Sifu episode spends most of its time establishing the premise of Sifu. Others never shake off their derivative roots: The Concord episode largely imitates Guardians of the Galaxy, but is a much better imitation than the attempt to recreate Interstellar’s emotional core in Exodus.

A video game anthology series is not doomed. The acclaimed adaptations of Fallout and The Last of Us clearly demonstrate that games can be translated into stories that resonate beyond their original audience. However, to create a successful anthology in this vein would require a more confident narrative and a more varied, judicious selection than Secret Level.