10 Games We Want to See in Secret Level

Opening Night Live saw plenty of new reveals, but one of the most unusual was Secret Level. This new anthology series from Netflix is inspired by games, presenting us with so-called “secret levels”. These are new stories with characters from (or in the universe of) a variety of different games. We already know that there will be episodes based on the likes of God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and even Dungeons and Dragons, but there’s plenty of space for more. Here are the top 10 games we want to see in Secret Level.

10: ObsCure

Let’s kick off with a total wildcard. This (appropriately) obscure PS2 series is overdue a revival. A Secret Level episode would be a perfect place for it to start if Amazon wants to take a left-field option.

Inspired by good old-fashioned 90’s teen horror, in particular The Faculty, the series follows a group of students who get caught up in otherworldly events brought on by their teachers’ scientific experiments. Each of the students is playable and has their own skills, but with a twist – at least in the first game. Anyone can die, and if they do the story continues without them. If that happens, the survivors have a smaller team to work with and lose their friends’ vital skills.

An episode based on ObsCure could easily fill in the gap between the games. In particular, two survivors from the first game are killed between the games while investigating the ruins of their school. Why not give us a found footage episode of the two of them meeting their grisly fates?

9: Tomb Raider

Let’s start with an easy one, and in many ways the most plausible. Amazon Games is set to publish new games in the franchise going forward. Additionally, Amazon is working on a live-action series based on the franchise.

Yes, Netflix also has its own project based on Tomb Raider in the works, which complicates things. However, an episode could let us know what to expect from Amazon’s take. We’d watch Lara Croft fill out her taxes or deal with customs (are ancient doomsday devices tax deductible? Does she declare her guns?). Even the films have always had a lot of fun with Lara solving ancient puzzles. Give us Lara doing what she does best – raiding a tomb and preventing the apocalypse.

8: Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is one of the biggest horror gaming franchises on the planet, and it already has a movie in the works. That doesn’t mean we should discount it – in fact, it’d be the perfect fit.

Dead by Daylight is about a primordial god – The Entity – that pits killers and survivors against each other to feed on their emotions. To do this, it has to transport them from their own universes. In fact, the upcoming spin-off, The Casting of Frank Stone, is set to explore just one of these origin stories.

A Secret Level could tell the story of one such killer getting sucked into the realm, as well as their associated survivor. We could see the entity manipulating them, even twisting them from a regular person into a bloodthirsty murderer.

It could also take another direction. Haddie Kaur, one of the survivors, is a paranormal investigator with the ability to sense areas where the Entity’s power is slipping into her world. Her backstory has seen her fight a variety of monsters – why not give her an episode? Hell, why not give her a whole series of her own?

7: Unknown 9: Awakening

This one’s not out yet, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited, and it’d fit perfectly into the game’s strategy.

Unknown 9’s story isn’t constrained to the game. In fact, Bandai Namco are calling it a Storyworld. In addition to Awakening, there’s a comic series (Torment), a trilogy of novels (Genesis), and a podcast (Out of Sight), each exploring the game’s universe. Why not toss in an episode of Secret Level, too? It’s clear that Bandai Namco are hoping for big things from the IP (even if, until recently, we hadn’t heard anything new about the game in some time), and a Secret Level could let players see more from the Unknown 9 universe.

6: Horizon

Netflix was working on a TV series based on Horizon for some time, but the project was reportedly cancelled earlier this year. While it’s possible that the series could move forward, there’s still plenty to explore from the universe.

The series follows Aloy, a young warrior from a post-post-apocalyptic society where giant robotic animals run amok. Over the course of the games, she learns more about what led to society’s collapse, and prevents it from happening again.

A Secret Level could follow Aloy, but it could also take a different approach. Why not show us a squad of soldiers fighting against the Faro Plague as part of Operation Enduring Victory? Hell, we’d watch a whole series of that alone.

5: Silent Hill

Silent Hill is finally having a long-awaited renaissance, with players all over the world excited to revisit the world’s most questionable vacation spot.

For newcomers, Silent Hill is a town with mystical properties, among which is its habit of sucking people into a nightmarish otherworld.

What makes the franchise unique is the psychological approach. The form the otherworld takes changes, and it’s often drawn from the minds of those exploring it. While one person might see an industrial landscape, another might be surrounded by fire or traverse a town in a storm.

As such, there’s a lot to draw from in a Silent Hill episode, and many directions it could take while still feeling authentic. In fact, there’s an entire comic book series with different people experiencing their own journeys through Silent Hill. Even better, with future games seeing the town’s influence spread as far afield as Japan, there’s plenty of opportunity for new spins on the franchise – and a Secret Level could be the perfect place for one of them.

4: Control

Control took the world by storm and introduced us all to the Federal Bureau of Control, a mysterious organization inspired by the SCP Foundation. The FBC investigates paranatural phenomena. If there’s a teleporting carousel horse or a slide projector that creates doorways to other worlds, the FBC are on the case.

A Secret Level could see the damage just one of these objects can cause. We’d love to see an Altered World Event from the perspective of the ordinary people nearby as they try to survive as something as simple as an ashtray turns their world upside down.

3: Ratchet and Clank

Ratchet and Clank are two of PlayStation’s most iconic heroes, and since their debut, they’ve saved the universe countless times. In fact, they’ve built quite a reputation for themselves, so why not give them an episode showing an adventure we never got to see? We’d love to see them take on a supervillain with their arsenal of over-the-top weapons, while their friendship would give it the feel of a buddy cop movie – albeit one where the cops can turn their enemies into sheep.

2: Dishonored

There are plenty of fictional assassins in video games, but Corvo has a fair claim to being the best. After all, it’s not like every assassin can possess their enemies or summon a swarm of rats to attack them.

An episode based on Dishonored could see Corvo, Emily, Billie, Daud, or anyone else “blessed” by the outsider taking down their target, using a variety of skills at their disposal. If gore is a concern, then they could always take a non-lethal route – although, of course, in the world of Dishonored, sometimes death is preferable.

1: Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry games come out rarely, but the series itself has always been a lot of fun. The games follow half-demon Dante and his team as they protect Earth from a variety of demonic threats the best way they know how – with stylish swordplay and big guns.

The franchise has already spawned a short-lived anime series, but it’s perfect for an episode of Secret Level. Give us witty banter, high-octane battles, and plenty of blood as Dante and his team take on the latest threat. After all, it’s hard to run a demon-hunting company if all you’re fighting is the big threats that come along every few years.

The show even has two options to explore either the better-known version or the short-lived reboot, which put a new spin on the franchise both stylistically and in terms of the characters.