In trailers for Prime Videos Secret levelwe get a glimpse of the Armored Core episode reminiscent of Michelangelo The Creation of Adam: With a huge, outstretched metal finger, a divine mech gingerly reaches for a wounded human pilot, seemingly ready to rescue him from his broken machine.
As I watched those trailers, I rolled my eyes at what seemed like a tired visual cliché. (In my defense, said trailer is set to M83’s highly played ‘Outro’.) But after watching Secret level‘s Armored Core episode, “Asset Management,” and when I see that creation scene in context, I feel like I owe the show’s creators an apology. The shot I was dreading is one of the best moments in Secret level.
Asset Management stars Keanu Reeves as an Armored Core pilot living in a hellish frozen world and seemingly on the brink of mental or physical collapse. Maybe both. But as core pilots say, it’s still the best of the best Secret level‘s animators show through some intense core-on-core action.
Reeves’ untitled pilot takes on multiple opposing mechs in battle scenes set authentically in the games. Favoring clever tactics and deadly close-range blows, Reeves’ pilot proves he’s at the top of the Armored Core food chain by staying two steps ahead of the competition; he knows when his enemies are not trying to kill him, but rather exhaust him. He cleverly uses his environment and stealth attacks to hold his own against superior firepower. He’s basically the John Wick of AC pilots.
In addition to a barrage of engaging, fast-paced mech combat, we also get a glimpse into the inner workings of an Armored Core, something rarely seen in FromSoftware’s games. The action in the games always takes place outside the mech, but the episode shows the physical effort Reeves’ pilot undergoes to sync up with his giant suit of armor. It’s not pleasant, but it’s fascinating to watch a digital Keanu endure the grueling act of driving an AC. The games just show how physically taxing it is to survive as a pilot; ‘Asset Management’ literally shows the blood, sweat and tears that this work requires.
Joining Reeves in ‘Asset Management’ is actor Erin Yvette, Ayre Armored Core 6: Burning Rubiconspinning once more like the voice in a pilot’s head; while she’s not explicitly named as Ayre, it’s a casting choice that fans of the game will appreciate. Star Wars’ Temuera Morrison also makes a brief appearance, but the eleven-minute episode is really a showcase for Reeves, who should probably do more mech piloting in FromSoftware’s gritty sci-fi universe.
Ultimately, “Asset Management” isn’t just an entertaining actioner for mech action fans, it’s a pretty good commercial for Armored core 6. The on-screen action of Secret level feels true to the game, so if you want to be a suffering pilot like Reeves, we highly recommend the game as one of the best of 2023.
The first eight episodes of Secret level are now streaming on Prime Video. The last seven fall on December 17.