With less than a week until Secret Level debuts on Prime Video, early reviews are rolling in—and they're not great. While the visuals are earning praise, many episodes are being criticized for shallow storytelling, flat characters, and an overly brooding tone. However, the Mega Man-focused episode, Mega Man: Start, is receiving notably positive impressions.
The Washington Post, Collider, The Gamer, Kakuchopurei, Looper, and Paste Magazine are a few outlets that praised the episode, noting its respect for the source material, along with its charm and wholesomeness—qualities that sharply contrast with Secret Level's darker tone. Some have even described it as an ideal watch for kids and families. But one recurring criticism is the episode's short runtime.
“Start is the perfect title for the episode because it feels like the start of a Mega Man series I’d love to see," writes The Gamer. "Is it its own series? Is it a Sonic the Hedgehog-style movie? I’d love to see this episode grow into something more someday because it nails the Mega Man vibe." Similarly, Paste Magazine notes, “Both 'The Queen’s Cradle' and the Blue Bomber-centric episode, 'Mega Man: Start,' play things exceedingly straight and end on a cut to black that makes them come across like the opening cinematic of a video game rather than a self-contained journey."
Indeed, Mega Man: Start is very short—I can confirm the story itself runs just 5:20 minutes, excluding the intro and credits. The ending leaves viewers wanting more, but whether it will lead to a follow-up in a potential second season remains uncertain.
Mega Man: Start will be available to stream on Tuesday, December 17th (same day as the series' 37th anniversary) as part of the second batch of Secret Levels episodes.
Oh wow that length is short. I was expecting more like 20 minutes, not a *fourth* of that. Guess we can throw out any expectations for more Robot Masters (still, impeccable taste to use Bomb Man).
ReplyDeleteThere is gonna be more than one ep, so they could still do it.
DeleteNevermind. I'm having trouble reading things correctly because I'm recovering from a cold.
DeleteThat suck. I was hoping to see the rest of the Robot Masters.
Delete@RS Proto Man
DeleteHope you feel better.
@6:49 Aw, thank you anon :3
DeleteNot surprised the Amazon show is getting bad reviews.
ReplyDeleteIf you readed the article it says the megaman episode is the only good one.
DeleteReally hope it isnt short tho. But im mostly glad its good
DeleteThat short?! Makes sense. I hope this episode alone expands into a series or something.
ReplyDeleteyeah and u were comemtimg about stop complaing and this going to be amazing how the tabels have turned
DeleteBut the table is still on their side? All the reviews are saying the Mega Man episode was good.
Delete@5:06 To be fair, I don't think any of us were expecting it to be 5 minutes long.
DeleteHuh I didn't think it'd be that short. Makes me wonder why they're releasing episodically and not as one big anthology of vignettes like Robot Carnival or Memories.
ReplyDeleteScored a 90/100?! Guys. Get your crazy minds out of the asylum. That score’s not THAT bad.
ReplyDeletewho is saying that's a bad score?
Delete"are a few outlets that praised the episode"
so, that score from kakuchopurei was the best score from all those who praised the mega man episode. that one isn't the only review, and it's not indicative of even the other sources that praised the mega man episode. of the ones that even give it a score there, you get a 4/10, 5.5/10, and 7/10. some pretty poor scores.
likely more reviews than just those 6.
https://www.ign.com/articles/secret-level-review-prime-video-tim-miller
ign 5/10
https://xboxera.com/2024/12/05/secret-level-season-one-review/
xboxera 5/10
https://www.metacritic.com/tv/secret-level/
metacritic 51/100
https://fandomwire.com/secret-level-review/
fandomwire 6/10
and there are more with no scores that really don't like it, and don't have anything nice to say about the mega man episode.
dang bro, 5 minute run time??? That's not even half an episode of anything. That's shorter than most episodes for Love,Death,&Robots. C'mon man...
ReplyDeleteWell, is what it is. Still looking forward to seeing it, but dog-gone.
Even when the short run time I am SO hyped we might be WINNING idc what anyone says
ReplyDeleteWinning what exactly? It's just a cameo in a mini series.
DeleteWe aren't winning anything....
DeleteThe fact that it's only five minutes long really deflates my intrigue, ngl.
ReplyDeleteMaybe after it's done, they'll have a compilation where everything is in order by series, rather than what has aired. This is an odd choice.
DeleteI don't trust early reviews anyway, or any reviews for that matter. A movie got at least a 100% rating on rotten tomatoes, and I hate it. I prefer not to say which movie it is because it's yet another one of my unpopular opinions.
ReplyDeleteReally curious, but yeah while I won't write anything negative, I don't think others won't bother you.
DeleteJust one question if you feel like it. Was it a 100% Critic Score or User Score or both?
I've had the opposite happen to me a couple times, there are movies I enjoyed that got overall terrible reviews. Reviews can be useful if you know the reviewer's tastes generally match your own, and if they make an effort to provide detailed commentary. Scores and ratings I find particularly useless, 10/10 five stars tells me absolutely nothing without context.
DeleteI never thought it would be THAT short, wow. I wonder how they'll gauge a follow up to the episode or if it could go further as its own stand-alone work.
ReplyDeleteIf this response keeps up, maybe Amazon will greenlight a full series.
ReplyDeleteIDK man, Taisen's been 5 years without a reveal, I need to cling to something with this series.
Taisen doesn't exist.
Deletetaisen was xdive
DeleteNot X DiVE. Taisen is/was a tent pole product by Capcom Japan, not Capcom Taiwan.
DeleteIf Taisen did exist more than likely it didn’t get past the concept stages.
DeleteProtodude's in serious denial, don't buy into any "Taisen's totally real" copium he's OD'ing on. It was probably planned to be a real game at some point, but when COVID hit and Capcom's schedule was thrown out of whack, history has shown that Mega Man's always going to be the first one on the chopping block if something has to get axed.
DeleteUnless Capcom themselves put out a public, non-investor meeting announcement that Taisen has indeed been in active development this whole time along with a trailer and concrete release date, just save yourself the heartbreak and assume it got cancelled years ago like most Mega Man projects post-2010.
I’m limited in what I can comment on regarding Taisen. However, you’ve raised some valid points that are certainly worth considering, especially in light of everything that has happened during and after the pandemic. All I can add is that Taisen has always been grounded in reality.
DeleteSpeaking of the past repeating itself as far as games getting cancelled, there was also the whole thing with Kazuhiro Tsuchiya leaving Capcom. Depending on how important he was to whatever Taisen was, that probably didn't help.
DeleteSince when is a 5 minute clip now considered a full episode?
ReplyDelete5 min? How is this considered an episode. More like a teaser episode.
ReplyDeleteLove, Death & Robots episodes always have an overly brooding tone. I had my reservation on how well this will mix with borrowed videogame IPs. Now I feel slightly vindicated, though good on Mega Man: Start.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited, but five minutes? Isn't that just a joke? Still, I’m satisfied with it—after all, as fans, we rarely get much Mega Man content. All I can hope for is that a new Mega Man game gets announced after the episode airs, though that feels like an impossible dream...
ReplyDeleteAs long as Capcom owns the franchise that won’t happen.
DeleteSadly, Megaman has been left in the past, unlike other series like Mario, Zelda, and Sonic. It has been left behind because of Capcom and their poor game management.
DeleteI think it'll happen eventually.
DeleteI unfortunately think this is also the new norm. One new game every 8 to 10 years or so with nothing but little cameos here and there in between.
no offense but that's an A$$ norm, MegaMan can be profitable but capcom made a big mess on the 2000's that not even Inafune could save from that hole the IP was going into, the sobre saturated market of games and the big losses in money capcom knew that they need to rethink what to do with it, but also people keep forgetting the COVID situation that the entertainment the whole ENTERTAINMENT was in really tough and rough times even game developers, no one expected that this would made big changes on the world back in the 2018-19, we already got in 2023 a collection and the offline version of the Gacha Game (now we have some mods) and yes I know the game got its 3 years and not many like it but it's something, there are other Capcom IPs not getting anything, it's about to time remember if Capcom makes a game too early and with no new people into it, it will keep selling just 1 million copies which capcom want more than what MegaMan 11 made to see a profit, sadly right now i feel this isn't this time for a new game, and please if you try to compare Sonic or Mario with MegaMan and they getting new releases, they have been easily introduced with Casual people over years, MegaMan it's hard to get new casuals into it without not liking the series or any of the other sub series. It's what capcom is trying now with new comics and that amazon episode could attract new people into it.
Delete@6:43 pm, paragraphs man, use them.
Delete@ 6:43
DeleteOh, I don't disagree at all. I don't think there's any excuse for that to be the norm for the series. As far as I'm concerned the series has, especially recently, overperformed when you consider how it has been managed by Capcom.
By extension of that, I think your point of "making a game too early" is fair, but only up to a point. Oversaturaion of the market has been an issue with the series in the past for example. But you can go too far with that as well. You need to build an IP for it to grow and it's hard to do that when it largely goes away for nearly a decade at a time.
I don't know why you're bringing up Mario and Sonic, but if you want to talk about them, then that's kind of what I mean. Those series stick around and are relevant, through their better and worse times, because the people managing the IP know the importance of keeping them in the mind of the audience at large. You can say "MegaMan it's hard to get new casuals into it" but I don't really believe that's been proven.
A huge part of why Mario and Sonic reach the casual audience as well as they do is because of the way they are managed. With Mario it's self evident, but even with Sonic, for all the faults and stumbles that series has had, Sega has done a good job of keeping it around and relevant.
Also Mega Man 11's sales are comparable to the sales of something like Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars. Granted, those are lower budget ventures, and 11 can't stack up to something like Sonic Frontiers, but that's a bigger scale, bigger budget game. Those lower budget Sonic games don't compete with it sales wise either and they aren't expected to.
I get the idea behind the strategy Capcom is supposedly taking, but I also don't think appearing in low quality ventures like Funko Fusion, or being licensed to cards that are directly tied to a crypto scam are the best ways to nurture the IP and expand the audience. I certainly don't think those things would do more to increase the reach of the series than if they actually made games for it.
I
Hey @6:43 PM
DeleteI'm @1:05 PM (I feel weird calling myself that way.) lol
I tried to play X Dive Offline yesterday
I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed I was during the first two hours of gameplay.
Sure, it’s not as bad as Xover, but it still feels like an insult to Mega Man X.
Maybe I’m overreacting. Part of me is happy they’ve at least tried to bring something new to the table after all these years. But I can’t shake the feeling that the game is being mishandled, both in production and marketing. It’s as if they’re just throwing something out there to pacify longtime fans, without any real care or effort behind it.
@8:21 am, the only good thing about X Dive is the great artwork we got out of it. I don't think you're overreacting, it's a very low budget effort for a game.
DeleteReviewed but non gamers
ReplyDeleteDid you bother to look up any of the authors in the reviews? Hell, Gene Park is WaPo's gaming editor. Of course they play video games.
DeleteGiven the complaints for the AC episode, I think familiarity with the featured games is more a con than a pro. Anyone who actually expected Keanu to swap out parts in a sub-10 minute short needs a reality check.
DeleteI don’t really care about reviews anyway, but the Mega Man, 5 minute cinematic clearly doesn’t follow the source material that closely just based on the way looks and the tone it gives off based on that. So I’m more distrustful of the legitimacy of the reviews then I’m am typically.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it’s five minutes, so why not give it a try. I’m not paying for it though.
I'm not sure, Rock looks and sounds like an American teen year old, which is more than we ever get anyway. Everything he wears references an outfit he's worn in a game (the orange shirt is from mm1 and the blue is from mm11/ archie comics). Bomb man looks a little strange but imo it actually looks pretty good.
DeleteIt's also supposedly got a contrastingly bright and happy tone, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I thought it was going to be like 40mins. That's a letdown.
ReplyDeleteOr at least the usual 30, I wouldn’t call 5 minutes a episode.
DeleteI was expecting at least 15 minutes. 5 minutes barely feels like a vignette/
Deleteyeh, I was expecting around 15 to 20 minutes like a StarWarsVisions or LD&R anthology episode. 5 minutes seems like a tragically small amount of time the more I think about it.
DeleteI was expecting at least 10 minutes, but wow... 5?
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of reviews, I wonder if Mega Man's short runtime is why it scored higher. They didn't have enough runtime to mess it up... which doesn't exactly make me hopeful about what we'll see in the future if they put out more Mega Man stuff for this series. I'm curious to see what the wider fan reaction will be when we can all access it.
I don't care.
ReplyDeleteo rly?
DeleteTrolls are getting a little on the nose with names like that.
DeleteNot trolling, you just can't deal with a name like this.
DeleteSounds like you know what you want, at least.
DeleteYes.
DeleteAll those words can be pretty much positive.
DeleteGatekeeper: Don't respect the rules of the game then don't demand change, like every hobby.
Elitist: To be both well learned and or experienced in the franchise.
Purist: If it isn't an action platformer starring a blue male robot with a buster designed to be the main weapon from Capcom of Japan, it might as well not even have the name Rockman on it although there are two more categories:
Absolutist Purist: Nothing made without Kitamura is considered part of the franchise, comprising of only Rockman and Rockman 2.
Storytelling Purist: With the plot threads of Rockman 8 that were dropped in later games but would've been picked up in a real Rockman 9, no game afterwards is considered a true continuation.
Honestly, I could get down with Kitamura purism. Cocoron is a damn masterpiece.
DeleteFeel like maybe this whole thing is to test the waters for ideas of shows that could be made. Let's hope that's what this is and that Megaman will be the one they choose to make into a full fledged series.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather someone else make a Mega Man series.
DeleteI know it has been said to death, but the only 'bright spot' to me is new MM games (sequels) to Classic, X, ZX, and even Legends. That was my instant thought when I read the title of this topic. Anything else MM related to me at this point is of little or no import (to me, at least). Sometimes I wonder if MM is even truly alive anymore or is it just being artificially propped up with side gimmicks for years now and a lot of MM in name only stuff.
ReplyDeleteI completely get what your saying, series is basically dead at this point since Capcom has no idea what they want to do with it.
DeleteMan, it ain’t even Capcom’s place to know what to do! Capcom’s role is to give money to whatever they call the Mega Man team and let them make a damn game. Historically, Capcom getting involved and insisting on a certain game is when things go south (MM3, X6, etc.).
DeleteMega Man 3 is the best Classic NES Mega Man just an FYI
DeleteHey I like 3 (OST slaps), but it’s no secret that it had a troubled development and is *very* rough around the edges. Broken graphics, unused music, way more slowdown than the other NES games, etc. I think Inafune disliking it so much tells you all you need to know.
Delete@Jack Spore, there's nothing wrong with X3.
DeleteIf you hate 90% of Mega Man games then why are you here Jack Spore?
DeleteBecause I uh, don’t? The only Mega Man game I hate is Mega Man’s Soccer.
DeleteAnd yes, X3 is great.
"Mega Man 3 is the best Classic NES Mega Man just an FYI"
DeleteI like MM3 more than 2 and 1, but the honest position to is admit it is all an opinion and subjective vs asserting as fact and asserting something is the best when that's purely subjective in this case. I think MM8 and MM11 are better since I like more modern graphics combined with the MM gameplay, charge shot, voices, modern sound and music quality, nice explosions, etc, though MM3 is better when it comes to length for me (I like length). It would be different if one could call something the best using data and math, like saying someone is best at how much they can lift on a certain exercise, or schooling points in basketball, but one may as well be asserting that bananas are the best tasting when each person may disagree or agree without any way to measure that. So the honest more humble position here is to say 'in my opinion' or 'I think'.
@Gary Daniel
DeleteI agree, and try to use those qualifiers myself when appropriate. But on the other hand, I feel like it’s kinda obvious that statements like that are opinions. Art can’t “objectively” be good or bad, because it has no inherent value or function.
IDK, I guess I just wish there was better media literacy on the internet haha
Yeah, it gets even trickier than that in that something can be objectively or subjectively better in some ways and worse in others ;) so even the term 'best' is nebulous unless one gets specific. I think the X series it better than Classic, TBH, but of course I predate even Classic. I like that X is darker, has more moves, has more and deeper story, feels higher tech, often better explosions, can move faster, etc. Though I prefer PSX or even PS2 graphics over SNES style, including the head to body proportions. NES and SNES feel too chibi style in their character sprites. So I actually enjoyed the X8 style over the demake and liked more story and dialog. The demake had almost no dialog, though the explosions were not bad and decent particle effects for a SNES style game.
DeleteHello Rockman corner‚ You found this prototype cartridge Rockman 1
ReplyDeletehuh?
DeleteWhy do you keep posting this question over and over on every topic here?
DeleteMan, 5 minutes and 20 seconds as the only new mega man "content" since Mega man 11. Dude some days I wanna cry by how dead the series feels.
ReplyDeleteIt basically is dead at this point, though the overly positive keep hoping crowd will tell you otherwise.
DeleteX DiVE? The series is gonna feel more dead than it is if you start ignoring the new stuff that does come out.
DeleteTo be fair there was X-Dive and Funko fusion.
DeleteX Dive and Funko Fusion are pretty low bars to accept, this “accept anything and like it” mentality some of you guys have is pure bs. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a actual full game that isn’t a mobile game or a cameo cashgrab.
DeleteCounting Funko Fusion as a new Mega Man game is like counting Smash Bros. as a new F Zero game. And at least F Zero 99 came out (which yes, is also a low bar. That’d be like if Mega Man 2.5D came out as an official game).
DeleteI only brought up those because THIS, if it weren’t for Hollywood, would be a low bar as well. Though I do agree the next appearance will probably be a Vs. Series game but whether the series has plot relevance like MvCI or is just roster filler isn’t clear.
DeleteSurprised there was no coverage on the Blade Armor X mod from Megaman X DiVE Offline.
ReplyDeleteDid not receive a tip on this đź‘€
ReplyDeleteMaybe the reason they went with a more realistic style is to test the waters for an RE Engine game, so he wouldn't be out of place in a new crossover if not a full game of his own.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the optimism, but the showrunners of this don't work for Capcom directly and even cited the series as being dead themselves.
DeleteI think this was just their vision and Capcom was fine with letting them do whatever they wanted with it.
@11:29 pm, come on now a 5 minute episode has nothing to do with a new game. It’s more that the show creators wanted Mega Man in their show and that’s most likely about it.
DeleteThis gives me no optimism about UDON’s reign or even future official crossovers from Capcom, given what UDON and later Teppen did to Darkstalkers; they’ll likely butcher the characters in Capcom vs SNK 3 even if they’re just roster filler and not important.
Delete@ 4:33 pm, I 100% agree with you there. Udon having a monopoly over Mega Man media is not a good thing like some people think it is. Especially considering just how much stuff they have never even bothered to translate and bring over before all these new projects just because they didn't like the art style.
DeleteAs it’s likely the RMs will still have personalities (albeit probably flatter than in Archie), this doesn’t mean the Mavericks (and hence Mutos Reploids/Psuedoroids as well) won’t end up being turned into generic kill bots, for example.
DeleteFive minutes? That's it? I would say I'm disappointed, but at this point, it's incredibly on brand for anything Mega Man-related that gets announced and hyped up to turn out to be a load of nothing.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why I don’t get it when people get hyped over any little thing Mega Man is mentioned in. It always ends in disappointment compared to back when the series was actually still getting games.
DeleteMaybe some fans still like to enjoy new stuff, whatever it may be.
DeleteThe notion that only full-fledged games should get you excited as a fan is silly. Let people enjoy what they want.
How about no.
DeleteIt's probably going to do way more with those 5 minutes than any episode of Fully Charged ever could.
Delete