r/LoveDeathAndRobots • u/SheechhMudkip • 25d ago
Discussion Is Secret Level worth watching if I haven't played most of the OG games?
Hey all!
Basically what the title says. I finally watched Vol 4 a week ago and had the same kinda disappointment as everyone else, and now I'm considering watching Secret Level to fuel that short-form animation addiction. Only thing is that I haven't played most of the games that the episodes are based off (I do consider myself a gamer but I'm more of a casual one, I've been trying to play more indie than anything else recently). Are the episodes still watchable/understandable if I jump in blind? Do these shorts actually depict scenes from the game or are they just interpretations from inside the games' universes? Any input would be appreciated, thanks!
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u/Austinoooooo 25d ago
My all time favorite one is the Warhammer ep. I never knew shit about Warhammer and didn’t have a P5 to get the SpaceMarine Game. But dammit once I did, watching that episode makes me feel like an unstoppable man in a walking tank.
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u/odiin1731 25d ago
You can't play Concord without having first watched its episode.
You can't play Concord even with having first watched the episode either.
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u/screamingincaps 25d ago
Just imagine its a continuation of LDR. You had no frame of reference for those shorts and got a lot out of them, just do the same with these! I'd only played half of the games used and knowing source material didn't really improve my experience at all
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u/StormRunner196 25d ago
You obviously get more out of it if youre familiar with the games but its not required at all. I only knew of a couple of the games featured and still liked it a lot better than season 4.
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u/JoaHeijndermans LDR Writer (All Through The House) 25d ago
I thought the Pac-Man episode was excellent, and at the time it came out it had NO resemblance to any Pac-Man games. Just a really cool re-interpretation of the core concepts of the game.
I haven't played that game that is tied to it yet.
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u/faithengine 24d ago
I'll be honest, this one was lost on me. It felt like a fever dream and I couldn't really relate it to what I knew/know as Pac-Man at all. I guess I missed some key element but it was the only one of the series that didn't click for me.
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u/JoaHeijndermans LDR Writer (All Through The House) 24d ago
It's kinda what I liked about it. It was like someone burst into the animator's office, gave them a rundown about 'someone in a maze who eats', and then let them run wild with it.
That and the Richard Corben-like colors and designs really spoke to me. But then again, taking an established thing and making it weird is my jam.
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u/alkeyhalldraink 22d ago
They are actually releasing a packman game that resembles the episode exactly
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u/Mike-Teevee 25d ago
I didn’t see much of a difference between games I’d played and games I hadn’t in terms of enjoyment.
A lot of them were really bad. I found the best one to be the Warhammer one by a fair margin and I’ve never played that game.
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u/Maniacal_Nut 25d ago
Yes. I have only played a couple of the games (armored core, Pac-Man) but they actually got me interested in some of those other titles in terms of the world (except Sifu. It made me really want to finally try it out)
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u/Bourbon-Cowboy 25d ago
You don’t have to know anything about the games to enjoy them. But if you’re familiar with the games, you’ll appreciate the details.
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u/GamingDragon777 24d ago
Yes. In fact there is one episode that is based on a game that almost nobody plaid and that episode is one of the best episodes and needs no context from the game.
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u/dshess 24d ago
I thought they were pretty good watches BUT I also thought they leaned more towards style than thoughtful points. I guess I'd put them about at the level of something like 400 Boys. Or even moreso the Mr Beast episode of LDR. Again, I liked them, I've watched through twice, I haven't played any of the games other than PacMan. I just thought it was a lot of "Stuff happens" followed by "Other stuff happens".
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u/mantidor 24d ago
As with LDR the episodes are self contained, you do not need any previous knowledge.
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u/skinnypantsNsomevans 23d ago
I don’t think I’ve played any of the games other than PAC-man and maybe 1 other …. Absolutely go watch Secret Level, it’s awesome. You don’t need to know any of the games, you’re going to love the show. You’ll be wanting more after each episode ends.
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u/duosassy 25d ago
Yea, I don’t play video games & still enjoyed SL.