Secret level
Episode 8 features Keanu Reeves as a mysterious pilot, but by the end of the episode, the plot appears to thicken with even more mystery. Prime Video's video game-adapted anthology series delves into a series of video games as it creates unique, in-depth stories that connect to the individual video games that inspire each episode. And in the final episode of the first part, there is an explosive ending and a huge star stepping up to play the protagonist, Keanu Reeves.
However, the episode presents a story that will likely connect on a much deeper level with people who have had the pleasure of playing the game. Armored Core games. Initially, the episode establishes that Reeves' unnamed character appears to be an outcast, who is not accepted by other humans. However, he appears to find some liberation through his life's calling as the operator of an incredibly powerful mech suit. Who delivers the orders is ambiguous, who occupies the other processes is irrelevant and, ultimately, the pilot is determined to succeed in his role as the ultimate fighting machinewhatever it takes.
Why does the pilot voiced by Keanu Reeves kill the other pilot?
The Pilot is the Last Man Standing at the End of Secret Level Episode 8
Throughout the episode, the pilot, voiced by Keanu Reeves, appears to communicate with a disembodied voice that offers advice and insight. However, the pilot appears to fly alone, doing things without support or crew. As he heads off to his next mission, taking down any targets that stand in your wayBoth he and the voice admire and recognize the synchronicity of the enemies, but this pilot has something to prove. Although they pose a challenge, the pilot quickly dispatches and eliminates each target, declaring himself the ultimate winner.
And then, after knocking over some of these machines, he finds himself in what appears to be an old abandoned factory. The voice points out that this is like the place where he was reborn, and moments later, the other mechanical suit in the room opens to reveal a person. However, they are not strictly human, as the body has augmented upgrades that seem to make them something of a human advantage. Although they appear to be in pain and ask the pilot for help, the pilot slowly extends a mechanical finger and continues pushing the finger forward until they crush this creature's skull.
What is the pilot in secret level episode 8?
The pilot's origins can be answered in the armored core
Whether the pilot believed that killing the other augmented human was actually helping him, or whether he simply wanted to ensure he had no rival, is unclear, although the latter seems more likely from his reaction. It seems that Reeves is playing a character who is an augmented or enhanced humanalthough this does not appear to have made them any stronger or more capable in their limited body of flesh and blood. Instead, the pilot is highly skilled at controlling a mech suit, or Armored Core, to fight, eliminate targets, and complete missions.
Following the games, this AC completes these tasks for various customers, and this leads to them earning money, which is replicated here as shown by the pilot shouting “Let's make some money!” However, in games, they are a silent protagonist whose true identity is always obscured. Therefore, their identity in the games is generally vague and the previous games have revealed very little. Despite this, the latest game revealed that the pilot appears to be a reanimated mass of cells that has incredibly limited functionality and is being given life specifically to power the AC. Something similar seems to be true for the pilot in Secret level episode 8.
What is the voice in the pilot's head?
Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon has the answer
In addition to being an augmented human, the pilot has another voice that exists inside his head. This voice is never given a name and its origin is unclear, but the pilot theorizes that it exists as a damaged neuron within his brain. That would imply that it is actually a part of oneselfand, therefore, a figment of your imagination that keeps you company and verbalizes the thoughts you have. However, the game's story also provides more information about exactly what this mysterious voice could be.
Several early games examine Earth under the influence of a wild, viral disease. The disease appears to influence, change, and infect the people of Earth, and leads to an unruly state of society, where mercenaries with ACs are hired to complete missions and clean the streets. Furthermore, the latest release in the franchise, Armored Core VI: Fires of the Rubiconsees the game take on a very different setting in deep space, where another type of infectious presence plays a key role. This is referred to as Coral, and it's made of sentient lifewhich includes many more individual sentient beings within the expansive Coral.
How Much Secret Level Episode 8 Resembles the Armored Core Video Games
The secret level faithfully adapts the armored core in several ways
As mentioned above, there are actually a lot of details that align with the games and expand on the lore of Armored Core. The episode features machines that closely resemble those found in the games, they are manned by pilots, who are actually referred to as Ravens in gamesand there is a dystopian setting that includes augmented humans and human plus enhancements. Despite this, the most obvious deviation from the source material is the fact that Keanu Reeves' character, the pilot, is actively communicating the entire time. Games only have silent protagonists who are unable to speak.
Games only have silent protagonists who are unable to speak.
Despite this, it almost feels like this episode serves as a sort of prequel to Armored Core VI: Fires of the Rubicon. The pilot is infected with a sentient voice that has bonded with him, he fights other augmented humans and appears to be on track to be killed. If that's the case, this could end up being the body that eventually gets reanimated to become the silent protagonist in Armored Core VIwhich would honestly be a tragic fate for the character featured in Secret level episode 8, but it would make sense narratively.