The PAC-MAN Episode in the SECRET LEVEL Animated Series Is the "Bloodiest Episode Ever"
Some fun new information has surfaced for Tim Miller’s upcoming adult-themed video game anthology series Secret Level. The series explores original stories set within the worlds of some of the most beloved video games.
One of those stories is set in the world of the classic game Pac-Man, but this is going to be a much darker take on it than anything we’ve ever seen before. In fact, the ghosts have been reimagined as carnivorous monsters!
Miller teased: “When I pitch it to people, I go, ‘It's actually our bloodiest episode ever. And they're like, ‘Oh my God, I can't wait.’”
Series writer JT Petty explained in an interview with EW: “We spent a long time trying to respect the entire 50-year history with Pac-Man and did a lot of retro-style, cute cartoon Pac-Man s—. Eventually, me and Dave were like, we just gotta do the John Melius version of this. What is Blood Meridian Pac-Man?”
In the story, “a man (voiced by Aleks Le) wakes from his slumber, suspended inside a water tank. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Over email, Le likens this character to ‘a newborn baby in concept but with the motor functions and capabilities of an adult.’
“All this character knows is that there’s a spherical android of some sort floating in front of him (voiced by The Mandalorian’s Emily Swallow). Puck — named after Pac-Man’s original moniker of Puck-Man — claims he’s ‘the Chosen,’ someone destined to escape the maze in which they are currently trapped.
“Whether Puck can actually be trusted or if there's more to this reality is a different matter. Puck guides the man to a sword, which he uses to cut across the jungles and barren deserts of this world to find a means of escape.”
So that’s going to be fun! The Pac-Man episode was teased in the last trailer that was released, but we also have a new images for you to check out above and below.
The series comes from Amazon MGM Studios and Blur Studio, creators of Love, Death + Robots, and it includes 15 mind-bending episodes and groundbreaking animation.
Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios previously said: “Secret Level weaves a tapestry of iconic games across multiple mediums, to tell a series of unique and captivating stories.
“Created and led by Tim Miller, Blur Studio, and Supervising Director Dave Wilson, each episode will take our global Prime Video customers on a brand new journey with breathtaking animation and imaginative storytelling.”
Each episode of Secret Level serves as “a gateway to a new adventure, unlocking exciting worlds from beloved gaming classics and highly anticipated new titles.
“Prepare for an unforgettable journey, where Amazon MGM Studios and gaming’s finest unite in a first-of-its-kind event that brings together more game IP in a single series than has ever been done before.
Here is the list of games that inspired the 15 epic stories found in the series: Armored Core, Concord, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, PAC-MAN, PlayStation (Highlighting various PlayStation Studios beloved entities), Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament, and Warhammer 40,000.
The voice cast includes Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator), Kevin Hart (Jumanji), Keanu Reeves (John Wick), Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us, Terminator: Dark Fate), Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett, Chief of War) and Ariana Greenblatt (Barbie).
Other members of the cast include Patrick Schwarzenegger (The White Lotus), Heaven Hart, Emily Swallow (The Mandalorian), Ricky Whittle (American Gods, Land of Bad), Merle Dandridge (The Last of Us), Claudia Doumit (The Boys), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost, The Union), Clive Standen (Vikings, The Morning Show), Laura Bailey (The Legend of Vox Machina), and Michael Beach (Tulsa King).
Secret Level will be available exclusively on Prime Video on December 10.
