Deron Generally
Deron GenerallySecret Level
Prime Video
Season 1 Episode 1
Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen’s Cradle
From the world of the seminal fantasy role-playing game, in celebration of its 50th year. One the hunt for a dragon cult, a band of adventurers rescues a boy who’s haunted by a sinister force.
I’ve been playing video games for over 30 years at this point and one of the things that have been both a boon to and bane of many video games have been the cinematic cut scenes that either establish or create moments within the game. Some cut scenes are extremely well done and do an amazing job of crafting the world of the game and making the gamer excited to dive into it. Many can be a distraction from the gaming experience promising epic action and plot points that the game cannot deliver. So, I was hesitant that the new series Secret Level would just be a series of cut scenes that look great, but don’t really tell a story.
A young man named Solon finds himself rescued by a group of adventurers before he can be sacrificed to a dragon entity called Tiamat. The boy finds himself plagued by visions that he cannot control. As some members of the party want him dead, their leader takes pity on the boy because she sees something within him. There is a wonderful immediacy to the story that mirrors the immediacy fans and players of D&D know well when story moments are unexpectedly interrupted by an external threat and the party can either fight or flee. I thought the pacing of those moments was brilliant and gave more gravitas to the story.
The animation is amazing. The visual style is a perfect mixture of photorealism and fantasy. Visually thrilling and gorgeous throughout, this fifteen-minute short encompasses everything there is to love about Dungeons & Dragons from both a visual and storytelling perspective. As the story escalated, I found myself wanting more and as it came to an end, I was not only invested in the story and the characters, but also disheartened that this was all I would get.
This short film is exactly what I think is needed in D&D and has the potential to be so much more. Personally, I would love to revisit this story, these characters and this world again in the same format. It lends itself brilliantly to the emotion, action and visual thrills of Dungeons & Dragons. I can only hope the rest of the series measures up to this strong and impressive opening.
Secret Level Season 1 Episode 1 Review
