Secret Level: A Doom/Halo Crossover was Scrapped by Microsoft

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As a gamer who’s spent countless hours immersed in virtual worlds and battlegrounds since the days of Pong and Pac-Man, I must say that Secret Level piqued my interest from the get-go. The idea of merging beloved video game IPs into an animated anthology series was an exciting proposition. However, the news about the Halo x Doom crossover that didn’t materialize left me a bit disappointed, much like when I missed out on the chance to play a multiplayer match with my friends due to network issues.

Admittedly, the first season of Secret Level felt a tad action-heavy and reminiscent of a sizzle reel for upcoming games. But as someone who’s seen their fair share of video game adaptations, I can appreciate that it takes time for a series to grow and find its footing.

I do believe that there are untold stories to be mined from the rich lore and great characters within these games. For instance, imagine an Overwatch episode exploring the backstory of Widowmaker or Tracer – that’d be something I’d stay up all night to watch!

Lastly, a bit of humor to lighten things up: Maybe Nintendo should consider investing in some ‘Secret Level’ episodes to gauge how the audience feels about adapting their more obscure IPs. Who knows, we might just get a Mario Kart episode where everyone drives go-karts made from classic consoles! Now that’d be a race I’d love to join!

As a longtime animation enthusiast and gamer, I found “Love, Death, and Robots” to be an intriguing blend of my two favorite worlds. While I appreciated the originality of the animated shorts, I couldn’t help but feel that some episodes seemed more like concept sketches for video games rather than standalone stories. Having spent countless hours immersed in both mediums, I believe the series could have benefited from a greater emphasis on story development and character depth to truly captivate audiences beyond their visual appeal.

In “Secret Level,” the show reimagines popular video game characters in an animated series with various standalone episodes. Although critics’ opinions are split, Amazon has confirmed plans for a second season. Interestingly, not all planned crossovers ended up being included in the series.

Halo Meets Doom

In a chat with Collider, the creators of Secret Level, Tim Miller and Dave Wilson, discussed characters and series they regrettably couldn’t incorporate during season 1. One concept they were eager to realize was a fusion of Halo and Doom, but unfortunately, Microsoft showed no interest in the project, as expressed by Wilson.

We strongly requested the opportunity to create something unique for our games, such as crossovers, which has not been done before. Specifically, we wanted to bring together Master Chief and Doom Slayer in a special episode. I invested an entire weekend writing a heartfelt letter expressing my enthusiasm for this idea from my childhood. Unfortunately, Microsoft responded with a ‘No.’

Miller and Wilson acknowledge that they had numerous elements they wished to incorporate into the series, but even with multiple seasons, they were unable to tick off everything on their wishlist due to constraints. Miller further explains, “I adore all the games we’ve created so far, and there are countless other games we could have developed. The challenge is that we could produce a full decade of this show and still not exhaust our list of favorite games.

Give It Some Time to Grow

To put it simply, I’ve got to be honest: The first season of Secret Level garnered quite a mix of opinions. Compared to the captivating narrative-driven approach of Love, Death, and Robots, some critics felt that this series leaned more towards action-packed episodes, giving off an impression of a compilation of future game trailers, which is how Secret Level came across for many.

Fortunately, despite Secret Level not causing much of a splash upon its release, Amazon has already given the go-ahead for a second season. This presents an opportunity for Miller and his crew to introduce some lighter elements into certain episodes.

As a lifelong video game enthusiast, I have always appreciated the blend of action and storytelling that makes gaming such a unique and immersive experience. While most video games focus primarily on action, there are some exceptional titles that delve into rich lore and deep character development to create compelling narratives. A prime example is Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch, which showcases the origin of one its characters, Mei, in an animated short. Despite being a hero shooter, it managed to weave a tale that was not action-heavy but still felt intrinsic to the game’s universe. As someone who has spent countless hours playing video games and appreciating their storytelling, I believe that Overwatch’s approach to narrative is a testament to the power of creative storytelling in gaming.

Instead of expanding solely into feature-length films like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The Legend of Zelda”, Nintendo might consider producing brief episodes for “Secret Level” to test public reaction and determine if it’s worthwhile to adapt lesser-known intellectual properties.

Catch the complete first season of Secret Level, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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2025-01-02 23:44