The premiere of Secret Level, Amazon Prime Video's anthology series adapting video game franchises, is almost here. In the weeks leading up to the debut on December 10, the studio behind the animated show has been steadily dropping teasers for each episode of the season.
Today, we got a deeper look at the episode focusing on Armored Core, which stars Keanu Reeves as the central character. In addition to a trailer posted on social media that gave a broad look at the action-packed mecha combat, Prime Video also shared a secret teaser for the episode, which requires viewers to put in a unique code to watch on the official site.
Gear up, pilots. Enter 42m023d c023 @ https://t.co/3AOsvuPa4B #SecretLevel pic.twitter.com/ov0W4NGkZiNovember 27, 2024
In this teaser, we see a day in the life of Keanu Reeves' character, a nameless mercenary and mech pilot who gets ready for a mission. He's also speaking with his AI companion, who offers playful banter as he prepares to suit up in his AC. He has a similar cadence and prickly attitude as Johnny Silverhand, yet Reeves delivers his lines as more of a person stuck in a dangerous job with nowhere to turn – which is totally on brand for the bleak setting of Armored Core.
What's interesting about the upcoming episode of Armored Core for Secret Level is that it'll offer what is, so far, the most character-focused storytelling that FromSoftware's series has seen yet. While the AC series features some intriguing storytelling and some fascinating – and bleak – lore, it's never been entirely about the characters in that world and more about how the world and larger universe have turned to using pilots in mechs to confront the growing conflicts skirmishes between civilizations.
2022's Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon presented the most developed plot of the series, but even then, it still left its character mainly in the background to its larger plot. So it'll be interesting to see just how the episode will work when it's not focused on plot and spectacle.
The upcoming show will focus on multiple franchises, which include God of War, Mega Man, Dungeons & Dragons, New World, Sifu, and Warhammer 40K, to name a few. One episode that many people are anticipating is for the ill-fated Concord, which closed service only weeks into its launch.
A teaser shared recently showcased some new characters not seen in the game, which gave a glimpse into the kind of storytelling and characters that were planned for the game if it had been successful. Secret Level's creator, Tim Miller, stated that he felt "terrible" for the development team of Concord after all the hard work they put into the game. Still, he sees the episode as an opportunity to show the universe's potential that Firewalk Studios envisioned.
Secret Level is looking to be an exciting show so far, especially with Keanu Reeves involved. This will also be Reeves' second role in a video game adaptation releasing in December, as he'll be voicing Shadow the Hedgehog in the live-action movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
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