A new series based on various video games will soon be starting. Among them is Pac-Man, but his episode is said to be different than you first expect.
Which series is it about? Secret Level is a new series that will soon start with the first episodes. It is an animated series that tells a new story in each of the 15 episodes. Various video games serve as a template, such as Sifu, Warhammer 40,000 or Mega Man.
The first episodes will be released on December 10th, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Two episodes are published every week. The filmmaker behind the project is Tim Miller, who was also responsible for the anthology series Love, Death & Robots.
One episode of Secret Level in particular is said to stand out. Of all things, the episode with Pac-Man could surprise the audience.
Teaser trailer for Secret Level – the anthology series on Prime Video
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The showrunners had free rein
What happened to Pac-Man? The small, yellow circle is a cute character at first glance. Yes, he is constantly hunting ghosts in his game and always seems to be hungry, but he still seems like a harmless fellow.
That could change in his episode at Secret Level. According to the creators, the episode is quite dark and cruel. It differs significantly from the template.
Dave Wilson, one of the producers of the series, explains that the stated goal was to show the most absurd version of Pac-Man possible. In discussions with rights holder Bandai Namco, the showrunners were asked not to stick too closely to the template.
We were on the phone with the developers at Bandai and the mission was, ‘We want the audience to wonder: What the hell did they do with Pac-Man?’ And we said: No problem.
Dave Wilson via pcgamer.com
Then the creative minds behind Secret Level got together and came up with something really wild. The script was sent to Bandai Namco and was approved without comment. According to Wilson, only the placement of a logo was determined by the company. Other than that, the showrunners were free to do whatever they wanted with Pac-Man.
Even in the first trailer you get a brief impression of what Pac-Man looks like in the series. No longer cute and yellow, it appears to be made of metal. When it opens its mouth, it reveals rotating, sharp teeth. It is not yet clear who Pac-Man will eat in his episode. In any case, just looking at it makes it clear that we have to say goodbye to the cute glutton.
Is that usually the case? Not necessarily. Rights holders usually control very strictly what is done with their characters. After all, you don’t want a brand’s identity to be completely turned upside down. Tim Miller sees it that way too: “I think there’s a whole range of people who really want to control the process closely.”
In the case of Pac-Man, Bandai Namco had great confidence in Miller and his team. But fans of other franchises also get their money’s worth. In the case of Warhammer 40,000, watching Secret Level is particularly worthwhile: If you want to know how the story of Space Marine 2 continues, you have to watch a new series on Amazon Prime