As the dark era for video game adaptations as a whole comes to a close thanks to things like Arcane, The Last of Us, and the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Secret Level is aiming to stand out from the pack while still being high quality. Serving as an anthology series like Love, Death & Robots inspired by well-known titles such as Mega Man and Unreal Tournament, Secret Level has managed to expand upon several iconic games to tell self-contained stories that will captivate fans and intrigue new viewers. One of the shining examples of this is the episode based on what is considered one of the best titles ever made, Unreal Tournament‘s “Xan.”
As fans of the arena shooter might gather from that title, the fourth episode of Secret Level tells the origin story of the Cybernetic champion that fans have known for the last 25 years, which is something no Unreal Tournament story has gone into in detail before. In that way, the “Xan” episode sits in a similar spot to Secret Level‘s Concord episode in the sense that both go into important lore that occurs before the games themselves, which fans only discover as passing tales during gameplay, ensuring that these two Secret Level entries are supplementary and do not alienate new fans. However, while Concord‘s episode serves as a reminder that the hero shooter had more to it that deserved to shine, the Unreal Tournament episode is practically screaming that the arena shooter should rise from the ashes.
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Secret Level’s Unreal Tournament Episode Features Worldbuilding and Designs That Should Be Used in a New Game
The Secret Level episode uses what’s known of Xan’s lore to finally showcase just what led to the robot’s appearance in Unreal Tournament games, showcasing the mining colony in which the Cybernetic being first gained sentience. The “Xan” episode tells a story that even complete newcomers can watch blind and still understand and feel for, as it deals with being empathetic to how machines are treated, even when they have a mind of their own. The entire short puts a world behind the game’s battles that’s alive and worth investing in, and all the action is delightful to watch with the fan-favorite announcements intact, begging the question of why Unreal Tournament‘s remained dormant when it could release a game in a similar vein.
Unreal Tournament’s Place in Secret Level is Exactly Why the Lack of a New Game is Deafening
It’s understandable as to why a video game anthology would work with Epic Games to do a vignette about such an iconic title, even if Unreal Tournament has been dormant for the last seven years. After the cancelation of the 2014 title in favor of Fortnite, fans have only seen Unreal Tournament referenced in other games once in a blue moon. With such a promising legacy behind it, how Unreal Tournament went out with a whimper is still shocking. This episode of the Secret Level anthology is proof that the game could have kept itself alive in some form through different adaptations or other mediums,
For the first Unreal Tournament adaptation out there, Secret Level sets the bar incredibly high for any potential ones to follow, what with the breathing world it’s set in and the impressive battle choreography throughout. Still, a follow-up would absolutely be worth exploring. With no game for fans to play after watching the “Xan” episode, Epic Games can capitalize and bring back the franchise, as Secret Level‘s worldbuilding is the perfect blueprint for a revival. It’s likely that any new Unreal Tournament game may have to start the series all over again, but following in the footsteps of Secret Level as closely as possible can be a great way acknowledge everything that came before while still applying a fresh coat of paint.
Secret Level premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 10.
Amazon Prime Video’s Secret Level is an animated series that explores different gaming worlds, telling short stories within them. Some of the featured games include Armored Core, Sifu, Unreal Tournament, Concord, Ghost of Tsushima, Pac-Man, and The Outer Worlds.