Prime Video’s Secret Level has arrived, captivating audiences with its fresh take on video game adaptations. Brought to life by Blur Studio, renowned for their stunning cinematics and Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots, this CGI anthology series plunges viewers into a diverse range of game universes each episode.
Season one unfolds across 15 captivating short stories, drawing inspiration from iconic games like Unreal Tournament, Pac-Man, and Dungeons & Dragons, among others. Each episode stands alone, welcoming newcomers without requiring prior game knowledge. However, a deeper understanding of these game worlds undeniably enriches the viewing experience. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive episode guide, designed to answer your burning questions about the lore and background of each Secret Level story.
If you’ve finished watching Secret Level and find yourself pondering questions like, “Who exactly is Xan?”, “What’s the deal with the Cult of the Dragon?”, or “What was hidden inside that mysterious box?”, you’ve come to the right place for answers.
Warning: Prepare for spoilers! This guide delves into spoiler-rich details for every Secret Level episode released to date.
Episode 1 – Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle
“The Queen’s Cradle” transports us to the world of Dungeons & Dragons, the legendary tabletop RPG that has shaped countless fantasy worlds, including that of Baldur’s Gate 3. True to D&D’s adventurous spirit, the episode centers on a party of diverse heroes: Mora, a formidable goliath paladin; Tally, a clever gnome wizard; Luzum, a sturdy dwarf monk; and Ahokal, a wise orc druid. Their quest begins with the rescue of Solon, a young man marked with enigmatic tattoos, from the clutches of the Cult of the Dragon.
Delving into the Cult of the Dragon
The Cult of the Dragon is a notorious faction deeply embedded in D&D lore. Their chilling belief centers around the dominion of undead dragons over the world. Their sinister practices include human sacrifice to appease dragon gods. Solon’s tattoos are grim indicators – he’s intended as a sacrifice to Tiamat, the fearsome five-headed queen of evil dragons. The episode mentions the Well of Dragons, a hidden temple of Tiamat nestled within a volcano, as the intended sacrifice location.
Unmasking Oriel, the Gold Dragon
Not all dragons in D&D are forces of darkness. Bahamut, Tiamat’s brother and rival, leads the noble metallic dragons. Seeking aid, the party turns to Oriel, a magnificent gold dragon, hoping he can cure Solon of his visions of Tiamat. Oriel is an original character created for Secret Level, not a figure from established D&D lore. This creative freedom allows for his dramatic demise as Tiamat materializes within him, tearing him apart.
The Mystery of Tiamat’s “Respawn”
Tiamat’s arrival is shrouded in mystery. In D&D lore, the Well of Dragons has been used to summon Tiamat from her infernal lair in the Nine Hells to the Material Plane (the ‘normal’ reality). This episode likely depicts a similar event, suggesting Tiamat’s manifestation is a form of ‘rebirth’ or ‘respawn’ – a concept explored throughout Secret Level.
Episode 2 – Sifu: It Takes a Life
“It Takes a Life” is a direct adaptation of Sifu, the acclaimed 2022 action game by Sloclap. Set in China, Sifu follows a man’s relentless quest for vengeance after his father’s murder. Unlike many Secret Level episodes, “It Takes a Life” is deeply embedded within the source material’s narrative. The intense fight sequences faithfully recreate Sifu’s second level, the infamous Club.
Unraveling the MC’s Respawn Ability
Throughout the episode, the protagonist, known only as MC (Main Character), faces death repeatedly. Yet, he doesn’t stay down. The MC resurrects and continues his fight, mirroring a core gameplay mechanic of Sifu. In the game, a magical talisman grants the MC this resurrection ability, but at a cost: each resurrection ages him by several years. By the episode’s end, we see the cumulative effect of these resurrections as the MC visibly ages into an old man.
Deciphering the Talisman’s Deterioration
The MC’s talisman is composed of a pendant adorned with five charms. These charms progressively break as he resurrects. This is another direct game mechanic recreation. In Sifu, a charm shatters each time the MC ages past a decade milestone. The talisman’s power is finite; once all charms are broken, likely after aging past 70, its resurrection ability will be exhausted.
Identifying the Club Boss: Sean
After battling through waves of enemies in the club, the MC confronts his target: Sean, the second boss from the Sifu game. While their fight isn’t fully shown in the episode, the setting is a faithful recreation of the game’s boss arena, and Sean wields his signature bo staff, just like his in-game counterpart.
Episode 3 – New World: The Once and Future King
“The Once and Future King” draws inspiration from New World, Amazon Game Studios’ MMORPG, specifically serving as a prequel to the Aeternum update. Set on the island of Aeternum, where death is not the end, the episode follows King Aelstrom’s comical and repeated attempts to claim dominion over the land.
Who is King Aelstrom in New World Lore?
In New World: Aeternum, King Aelstrom is an NPC quest giver in the starting area of Monarch’s Bluffs, offering tutorial objectives to new players. In the game, he reveals his past as a former king, but details are scarce. This Secret Level episode acts as an origin story for Aelstrom, voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. We witness his younger self’s ill-fated attempts to conquer Aeternum. His failures in this episode likely explain his later exile from Prydwen, the city he was reportedly expelled from in the game. The castle depicted in the episode is likely Prydwen itself.
Explaining Aelstrom’s Perpetual Resurrection
The episode explicitly states that death is not permanent on Aeternum, hence King Aelstrom’s ability to resurrect endlessly, reminiscent of Edge of Tomorrow. This ability is rooted in New World‘s lore. Azoth, a mineral on the island, is the source of Aeternum’s supernatural properties, granting resurrection to all living beings. This is the lore explanation behind player respawns in New World.
Episode 4 – Unreal Tournament: Xan
“Xan” plunges into the Unreal Tournament universe, serving as a prequel to the game series, similar to “The Once and Future King.” This short recounts the origins of the Unreal Tournament, conceived as a means to quell an AI uprising.
Unveiling Xan Kriegor’s Origins
The episode’s protagonist is Xan Kriegor. While his appearance differs from his Unreal Tournament game counterpart, Secret Level‘s version aligns with established lore. Xan was originally built by the Liandri Mining Corporation for hazardous mining operations. He gained notoriety by leading a robot rebellion against his human overlords on asteroid LBX-7683. The episode depicts Xan’s initial act of defiance against human oppression.
The Genesis of the Unreal Tournament
Secret Level suggests the Unreal Tournament deathmatches are a punitive measure for Xan and his robot rebels for their uprising. However, the game’s backstory presents a slightly different narrative. After suppressing the rebellion, Liandri captured and reprogrammed the rebels into a team of robotic warriors called The Corrupt. These warriors were then forced into the Liandri Grand Tournament, a legally sanctioned bloodsport intended to provide a violent outlet for an increasingly aggressive populace.
In the original lore, Xan is not portrayed as trying to help his fellow robots through punishment, but as an efficient soldier striving for victory for his employer. He quickly ascends to become the tournament champion, achieving legendary status.
Episode 5 – Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear
“And They Shall Know No Fear” is set in the grim darkness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, marking the second tabletop game adaptation in Secret Level. This episode acts as a companion piece to the Space Marine 2 video game, taking place after its campaign. It follows Lieutenant Titus, now part of a Bladeguard team, on a mission to eliminate a powerful agent of Chaos – daemons that pose an existential threat to humanity. Continuing Secret Level‘s exploration of respawns and rebirth, the episode delves into the creation of Space Marines, depicting the process of breaking down children and rebuilding them into fearless warriors.
Deciphering the Contents of the Box
Throughout the episode’s first half, Titus carries a coffin-like box. It’s revealed to contain an astropath, a psychic slave. Astropaths are the 40k equivalent of interstellar telephones, capable of sending and receiving messages across vast distances. They can also communicate with aliens and daemons, likely a reason for the astropath’s presence on this mission. However, the astropath’s primary purpose is defense, possessing the psychic ability known as Psychic Barrier, used to shield the squad from Chaos’ spectral attacks.
Identifying Titus’ Chaos Foe
The Space Marines are battling servants of Tzeentch, the Chaos god. Fans will recognize blue-skinned Tzaangors and the statue of the bird-like Lord of Change. However, within the statue’s staff lurks a new threat: a Sorcerer of Tzeentch. While not a tabletop model, this creature embodies Tzeentch’s servants with tentacles, strange eyes, and mind-poisoning illusions.
Metaurus’ Vision and Titus’ Fearlessness
Much of the episode unfolds from the perspective of Metaurus, the squad sergeant, an original character pivotal to the story. He reveals he recruited Titus, not by breaking and rebuilding him, but because Titus was inherently fearless even as a child.
When the Tzeentch sorcerer torments Metaurus with visions, he imagines the implications of Titus’ complete lack of fear. He sees Titus transforming into a Chaos disciple before attacking him. This suggests Titus’ fearlessness might make him vulnerable to Chaos temptation, linking to the first Space Marine game’s narrative where Titus is suspected of Chaos collusion and convicted of heresy.
Ultimately, Titus’ fearlessness becomes his strength. Within his vision, he fights back, allowing his physical self to defeat the sorcerer. Metaurus then questions Titus’ potential, hinting that Titus might be humanity’s ultimate, incorruptible defender.
Episode 6 – Pac-Man: Circle
“Circle,” based on the arcade classic Pac-Man, is arguably Secret Level‘s most unconventional episode. Given Pac-Man‘s minimal story and setting, this short is a wild reimagining of the mazes, dots, and ghosts.
Pac-Man Easter Eggs and Reinterpretations
“Circle” reimagines Pac-Man elements as symbolic easter eggs rather than direct recreations. The Puck is the most direct Pac-Man representation – a floating yellow orb navigating a jungle-like maze. However, the traditional Pac-Man role is filled by the Swordsman, a humanoid trying to survive the maze under the Puck’s direction. Their connection is symbolized by the Swordsman’s blade, featuring Pac-Man‘s open-mouth design on its crossguard.
The Puck’s line, “You must be hungry,” references Pac-Man‘s gameplay of eating through the maze. While the Swordsman doesn’t eat dots, he consumes beasts and cherries. The Puck also encourages him to eat “hungry ghosts,” referencing the power pellets that allow players to eat ghosts in the game.
Repetition and the Cycle of the Maze
The episode’s title, “Circle,” refers to the Puck’s cyclical search for a Swordsman to conquer the maze. Countless Swordsmen are held in stasis, destined to be coerced by the Puck into maze traversal. The Puck’s mantra, “There’s strength in repetition,” reflects both the Swordsman’s need to repeatedly eat to progress and the Puck’s obsessive attempts to find a maze-completing Swordsman.
This commentary connects to Secret Level‘s broader theme of death and respawning in video games. It acknowledges the repetitive nature of Pac-Man gameplay, often ending in “Game Over,” but emphasizes that repetition is crucial for skill improvement and maze mastery.
The Meta Twist: Shadow Labyrinth
In a surprising meta twist, “Circle” is revealed to be more than just a Pac-Man reimagining. It serves as a trailer for Shadow Labyrinth, a Metroidvania-style Pac-Man game announced at The Game Awards 2024, where players control the Swordsman in Circle’s deadly maze. This episode was effectively a sneak peek for a game launching in 2025.
Episode 7 – CrossFire: Good Conflict
“Good Conflict” draws inspiration from CrossFire, a massively popular PvP shooter by Smilegate Entertainment, particularly in China and South Korea. CrossFire pits two mercenary factions against each other: Global Risk, a counter-terrorist organization, and Black List. Both factions are central to this episode.
Global Risk vs. Black List: Mercenary Factions Explained
Due to CrossFire‘s multiplayer and lore-light nature, “Good Conflict” requires minimal explanation. However, understanding the factions is key. The episode begins from Black List’s perspective, tasked with escorting Mahler to freedom fighters. They are intercepted by Global Risk, identifiable by blue badges on their helmets. Confusingly, Global Risk wears black and drives black vehicles, while Black List wears tan gear and drives white vehicles.
The Mysterious Package’s Contents
Global Risk isn’t actually targeting Black List. Their mission is to retrieve the package Mahler carries. Its contents remain unrevealed (except for a decoy package filled with hot water bottles), but it’s deemed highly valuable. Global Risk seeks it for security, fearing its misuse could lead to global warzones. Mahler believes the freedom fighters will kill him without the package. The package likely contains either globally destabilizing information or a weapon of mass destruction.
Episode 8 – Armored Core: Asset Management
“Asset Management” concludes Secret Level‘s initial episode batch. Based on FromSoftware’s mech combat series, Armored Core, it stars Keanu Reeves as an unnamed mercenary mech pilot. A seemingly routine mission escalates when the pilot realizes his targets have ties to his past.
The Pilot’s Augmented Nature
The episode opens with a bar conversation about the pilot. An older man describes him as “made to do one thing” and “they don’t make them like that anymore.” It’s revealed he’s an augmented human, directly interfacing with his mech. While augmented humans vary across Armored Core, this short resembles AC6: Fires of Rubicon.
AC6: Fires of Rubicon features Human PLUS programs across generations. Early generations used Coral for enhancements, causing side effects like disembodied voices, experienced by AC6‘s protagonist, C4-621. Keanu Reeves’ pilot also hears a voice, suggesting he’s either a fourth-generation augmented human similar to C4-621, or a Secret Level-specific version of Human PLUS. The episode’s universe connection to Fires of Rubicon is unclear.
The Last of His Kind: A Misleading Claim
The pilot initially claims, “everybody like me is dead,” but this is false. His contract is to eliminate other augmented pilots. This reflects Armored Core‘s mission structure, where contract details are often concealed. The “enemy” pilots share the same contract, hoping the augmented humans will eliminate each other, but they hesitate to kill the pilot, hinting at a shared bond. Despite this, the pilot fulfills his orders and kills his target.
The pilot’s motive for killing other augmented humans remains ambiguous. In Armored Core‘s corporate dystopia, being unique might be valuable, ensuring his status as the top choice for contracts. Survival of the fittest in a brutal future.
Episode 9 – The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep
“The Company We Keep” is based on The Outer Worlds, Obsidian Entertainment’s sci-fi RPG. It follows Amos, a working-class man who becomes a human test subject to reconnect with a past love. Echoing The Outer Worlds‘ themes, the story is staunchly anti-capitalist, criticizing CEOs, the pharmaceutical industry, and unethical profit pursuits.
Auntie Cleo’s: A Brand of Unethical Practices
The Auntie Cleo’s logo is familiar to Outer Worlds players, appearing on medicine vending machines across the game’s galaxy. A subsidiary of Kolway Pharmaceuticals, Auntie Cleo’s is infamous for unethical experiments, vividly depicted in this episode. They are rivals with Spacer’s Choice, a company producing cheaper goods, creating a race to maximize profit at any cost.
While Auntie Cleo’s is a faction in The Outer Worlds with its own security force, the game offers limited insight into its structure. A short questline introduces Anton Crane, a researcher seeking new profit avenues, including a blindness-inducing toothpaste Auntie Cleo’s prioritizes flavour over safety for.
Unmasking Auntie Cleo’s CEO Identity
“The Company We Keep” deepens our understanding of Auntie Cleo’s, showcasing its unethical practices and revealing Auntie Cleo as a title for the company’s top scientist, passed down through generations. Felicity Karo becomes the current Auntie Cleo in the episode by ending product testing – a cost-cutting measure she fears is too extreme even for the board. With tested products only 60% effective, ending testing could dramatically increase customer harm.
Felicity questions her morality and the company’s, asking Amos, “we’re the bad guys?”. However, this is a ploy to retrieve Amos’s recording of her unethical plans. Neither Felicity nor the company cares about Amos’ concerns. Dr. Langdon even suggests reporting misconduct is misconduct itself, such is the crime of criticizing the company.
Amos, believing Felicity’s change of heart, lets her go. Despite Felicity’s plans causing his redundancy, Amos professes his love for Auntie Cleo. He becomes another victim of capitalism and its deceptive promises.
Episode 10 – Mega Man: Start
“Start” is based on the 1987 classic Mega Man, acting as an origin story for the Blue Bomber. In one of Secret Level‘s shortest episodes, we see Rock, a boy-like robot, transform from Dr. Light’s lab assistant into Mega Man, protector of the city.
Dr. Wily’s Robot Takeover Explained
The episode action starts quickly, barely establishing the villain. While Rock confronts the giant Bomb Man, the true antagonist is Dr. Wily, an unseen enemy using spider-like drones to seize control of the lab’s robots.
Dr. Wily is central to Mega Man lore. He and Dr. Light were friends and PhD students at the Robot Institute of Technology. Their relationship soured when Wily’s Double Gear System was criticized while Light’s sentient robot research was praised. They became bitter rivals, with Wily secretly building a robot factory and planning world domination. Light continued developing sentient robots, creating assistants and winning the Nobel Prize.
In the first Mega Man game, Dr. Wily reprograms Dr. Light’s robots for world conquest. “Start” reimagines this, with Wily’s drones reprogramming Bomb Man and attempting to control Rock.
Mega Man’s First Mission and the Mega Buster’s Origin
The episode centers on Rock defeating Bomb Man. While different from the game, Secret Level‘s version provides a unique origin for Mega Man’s iconic Mega Buster weapon. In the games, Rock’s arm is a blaster. “Start” explains this by showing Rock replacing limbs with lab tools. To defeat Bomb Man, Rock combines a welding torch and cryogenic fuel to create a cannon-like weapon – a prototype for the Mega Buster Dr. Light later creates (with armor) for Mega Man.
Episode 11 – Exodus: Odyssey
“Odyssey” is significant because it’s set in the world of Exodus, a yet-to-be-released video game. It offers a unique preview of this upcoming sci-fi RPG by developers behind Mass Effect. The Interstellar-esque story follows a father searching for his daughter across the cosmos, complicated by time dilation.
The Celestials: Exodus’ Human Villains
The Celestials are Exodus‘ villains, but their origins are human. Humanity abandoned Earth for the Centauri galaxy in waves. Those finding habitable “Green Worlds” summoned later waves. Light-speed travel meant decades for shipboard travelers, but millennia passed in real-time. First arrivals in Centauri formed empires, genetically engineering themselves into Celestials, seeing later human waves as primitive.
Empires, clans, and wars arose. By Exodus‘s “present,” millennia after Earth’s abandonment, humanity struggles against Celestial oppression. This is where the Travellers come in.
Travellers: Humanity’s Eternal Warriors
Players will become Travellers in Exodus. “Odyssey” offers a glimpse into their lives. Travellers are “humanity’s eternal warriors,” hunting Celestial tech to fight oppressors. Interstellar travel is both a blessing and curse. Travellers experience thrilling adventures, but time dilation is a factor. Light-speed travel slows time for shipboard crews, making star jumps feel like months. But for families at home, years or decades pass. Returning home can mean missing generations.
In “Odyssey,” Mari becomes a Traveller, seeking Celestial artifacts with Rafael. She leaves without warning, and her father, Nik, chases her across the galaxy. Mari, spending time on planets with normal time flow, ages 53 years. Nik, traveling at light speed, ages only 11 years. When they reunite, Mari has lived a full life during Nik’s short pursuit.
The Celestial Orb: Power and Debt
At the episode’s end, Nik returns to Lidon with a Celestial orb, an artifact from long-dead empires. Today’s Celestials are less advanced than past civilizations. Celestial ruins contain powerful items, said to hold creation and destruction power.
Before leaving Lidon, Mari wondered if an artifact could improve her frozen homeworld. She finds one but dies before testing it. Nik delivers Mari’s find to Kara Voss on Lidon as payment for his debt to Kara’s grandmother, Thadie, who financed his decade-long journey. Whether the artifact improves Lidon is unresolved, as Nik leaves for a new adventure, embracing the Traveller’s life.
Episode 12 – Spelunky: Tally
“Tally” is based on Spelunky, a roguelike platformer inspired by Indiana Jones-style cave exploration. It tells Ana’s story, struggling in deadly tunnels. Inspiration from her friend Liz encourages her to try again, and again, and again.
Ana and Liz: Spelunky 2 Characters
Ana and Liz are Spelunky 2 characters. Ana Spelunky is the daughter of the first game’s protagonist, Spelunky Guy, searching for him on the moon after his disappearance. Spelunky 2 is moon-set, making this Secret Level chapter likely moon-based. However, the episode is story-light, like its game inspiration.
Ana is Spelunky 2‘s default character. Liz Mutton is unlockable, described as “tough-as-nails,” needing solitude but caring for friends. Her personality is evident in helping Ana, offering realistic cave exploration advice, understanding failure as part of success, hence her “tallies” – marks for each failed run.
Ana’s Respawn Mystery: Roguelike Mechanics
Previous Secret Level episodes explained respawns. Sifu‘s MC had a talisman, Pac-Man‘s Puck had infinite Swordsmen, New World‘s Aeternum had supernatural powers. In “Tally,” it’s less clear. Liz mentions “the spell on this place is unbreakable,” suggesting magic prevents permanent death.
This “spell” isn’t in the game. Spelunky‘s closest concept is the Ankh, resurrecting players without restarting. But “Tally” depicts full run restarts, reflecting Spelunky‘s roguelike mechanics. There’s no lore reason for Ana’s 82 deaths in the episode. It’s simply how the game works.
Ana Spelunky’s Many Deaths: Game References
The mid-episode montage shows Ana’s deaths, referencing Spelunky 2. Death #16: crushed by a log trap; #19: eaten by a mantrap plant; #27: clawed by a skeleton; #38: speared. These are familiar Spelunky player downfalls.
Episode 13 – Concord: Tale of the Implacable
“Tale of the Implacable” is set in Concord, Sony’s Firewalk Studios’ ill-fated multiplayer shooter. It tells the story of Cassidy, captain of the starship Implacable, and her crew’s chaotic theft of an interstellar map.
Prequel to a Lost Present: Concord’s Lore
“Tales of the Implacable” is a prequel to Concord. Concord, before its cancellation, was planned to have an unfolding story about the Northstar crew – “Freegunners” taking dangerous mercenary jobs. This Secret Level episode is chapter one, showing the Freegunners’ origin.
In Concord‘s opening cinematic, the Northstar crew joins the Freegunners, presented with The Galactic Guide, a star map for safe interstellar travel. Lennox, Northstar crew member, explains The Galactic Guide belonged to The Guild, prohibiting non-Guild travel. The Implacable crew, now legendary martyrs, stole the Guide and made it free, enabling the Freegunners – a large collective of crews working freely among stars.
Before using the Galactic Guide, Lennox honors the Implacable, who risked their lives for the map, kissing a tchotchke figure – “authentic item from the starship Implacable,” seen in the Implacable cockpit in this episode.
The Guild and the Tempest Disaster
The Guild was Concord‘s enemy faction. A century before Concord and this episode, the Merchant Guild became dominant, controlling core worlds through food and fuel monopolies, and holding the “Wilds” (Concord’s outer rim). They threw an asteroid at Wilds planet Silo, using the crater for a massive outpost. The Guild was a profit-driven evil empire.
This episode features the Tempest, a “galaxy sundering storm.” The “sunder” refers to the Tempest Disaster, splitting the galaxy and separating core worlds from the wilds. This benefited The Guild, who controlled interstellar maps around the Tempest, restricting free travel, leading to black market “criminal” crews. The Implacable’s map theft overturned this, freeing interstellar travel.
Episode 14 – Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things
“The Way of All Things” is based on Honor of Kings, a Chinese 5v5 MOBA mobile game by TiMi Studio Group and Tencent Games, similar to League of Legends. Honor of Kings gameplay lacks explicit narrative, but characters have backstories on the official website. The Honor of Kings universe draws from Chinese mythology, blended with fantasy and sci-fi.
Yixing: A New Honor of Kings Hero
“The Way of All Things” stars Yixing, a protagonist not from the existing Honor of Kings roster. He’s a new hero launching with this episode, making the show his lore origin. His battle with Tiangong and parents’ sacrifice are new additions.
Yixing’s backstory is still developing. As a young man facing hardship, Yixing was rescued by the Peony Diviner (Ming, another playable character), who apprenticed him, teaching him skills like overcoming suffering and manipulating people, and the board game Weiqi. Yixing became a Weiqi prodigy, defeating Kyokutou masters. His Weiqi skill is reflected in his in-game abilities, themed around Weiqi moves. This skill becomes crucial in his philosophical encounter with Tiangong.
Chang’an: The Mechanical City
“The Way of All Things” takes place in Chang’an, a self-rebuilding mechanical city, home to Ming, Yixing, and other Honor of Kings characters. Chang’an has appeared in promotional cinematics, but lore details come from the Honor of Kings website. It’s a city built by Master Mozi atop the “Mecharium,” ruled by the Wu Clan empress. The Ministry of Machinery controls mecha use. Unauthorized mecha use is forbidden, making the Ministry the sole authority. They communicate via mechanical bird Kites and research mecha cores for the imperial family’s goals.
Episode 15 – Playtime: Fulfillment
“Fulfillment” is unique, not set in a specific game world. It creates its own universe around AI assistants called “Buddibots,” referencing PlayStation games. It follows O, a courier delivering a package to her childhood home. Her delivery bike ride becomes eventful, with PlayStation characters trying to stop her.
PlayStation Cameos: A Crossover Celebration
O encounters characters from Helldivers 2, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War Ragnarok, LittleBigPlanet, Journey, and Ghost of Tsushima. Her first encounter is with Helldivers chasing her for the package. They wear starter armor, assault rifles, and later perform the chest bump emote. Terminanid Bile Titans and Hunters also appear.
The second cameo is Gaius from Shadow of the Colossus, a missed opportunity as O doesn’t climb his sword or body.
O’s Kratos encounter also lacks God of War callbacks, though Kratos uses his Leviathan Axe with a runic ice attack, wearing his Ragnarok fur cloak.
Other cameos are lighter. Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet appears while O falls and later on a bench with Johnny. The Journey protagonist in orange robes also walks by in the final scene.
Jin Sakai’s Blink-and-Miss-It Cameo
With Helldivers, Colossus, Sackboy, and Journey protagonist accounted for, Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima is the final cameo, disappointingly brief. In the final PlayStation world scene, Jin is in the background by Kratos’ bench, out of focus except for a split second. The trailer shot of Jin drawing his sword and looking at the camera isn’t in the episode, a letdown for Ghost of Tsushima fans.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.
