Secret Level Hints at Concord's Lost Potential

THE Concordia Prime Video episode Secret level showed the hidden potential of the ill-fated hero shooter and hinted at what could have been for the video game. Secret level adapted 15 video games, old and new, for television, but not all of them were absolute industry icons. One game in particular – Concordia – was an objective failure, and it was a little surprising to see it in Secret level. Even though the game was a failure, Secret level It actually ended up getting better. Concordia and showing the game's true potential.

Concordia it was a hero shooter, meaning players controlled specific characters who had their own set of skills and powers. As Surveillance 2 or Marvel RivalsPlayers would form teams based on each character's abilities and fight against similarly structured enemy teams. Unfortunately, Concordia it also didn't do enough to differentiate itself from other hero shooters and ended up being shut down just weeks after its release. Although the game is no longer playable, Secret level took a stab Concordiaand offers a glimpse of what could have been.

Concord's Secret Level Episode, Explained

“Tale Of The Implacable” sets up the Concord universe as one filled with bandits and pirates

Secret level episode 13, “Concord: Tale of the Relentless“follows a group of Freegunners – Kai, Rade, Sladie and Smokes – in the Relentless. The Freegunners of Relentless set out to rescue his captain, Cassidy Taimak, who was captured after stealing one of the Guild's maps. After a botched rescue operation, the Relentless was captured by the Guild officer, and the crew decided to broadcast their map to every other pirate in the galaxy, effectively unlocking space travel.

Tale of the Implacable is very similar to another science fiction series: Firefly and its sequel film Serenity. As Concordia, FireflyThe galaxy is oppressed by a massive organization known as the Union of Allied Planets. FireflyThe main cast is also a group of outlaws who start out more interested in paychecks than morals, but end up becoming revolutionary figures who inspire others. There is also an overarching sense in both Concordia and Firefly that space is largely a western frontier and a focus on the freedom that the life of an outlaw brings.

Concord's open ending sets up a compelling universe

Concord's universe had some interesting elements worth exploring

One of the most interesting aspects Tale of the Implacable is that it didn't actually feature the main characters of Concordia. It almost serves as a prequel to the game and sets the stage for all the conflicts and piracy that the game's main characters would be involved in. As an introduction to Concordia, Secret level did a great job. Maybe not the best episode Secret levelbut Tale of the Implacable even presented to the public some of the things they did Concordia unique and worth exploring.

Concordia may not have been as groundbreaking as science fiction legends like Star Wars or Fireflybut it still brought some interesting elements to the table. The fight between the Guild and the Freegunners was an interesting asymmetrical dynamic and had room to tell many compelling stories. Likewise, the pirate nature of the Freegunners seemed like the perfect way to introduce colorful characters from all walks of life, and Concordia could have created many great personalities within the faction.

Even the universe itself was interesting. Space travel is rarely described as being as dangerous as Concordia showed this, and it might have been a breath of fresh air to see the actual logistics of spaceflight in a game or show. It would also have been infinitely interesting to explore the Storm and discover its origins, how destructive it was and what its insides are like. Secret levelThe open ending proved that Concordia it was a blank page that could be filled with an infinite number of stories.

Why Concord Has Already Shut Down (and What Secret Level Thinks About It)

Concord simply didn't have enough players or interest, which Tim Miller sympathized with

Unfortunately, Concordia will never have the chance to capitalize Secret levelspecialized configuration. Concordia was taken offline on September 6, 2024 – just two weeks after its release – and Sony shut down completely Concordia and the studio behind it, Firewalk Studios. According to Sony, Concordia was closed due to low player numbers – the game had just under 700 concurrent players on Steam at its all-time peak. There were a variety of reasons Concordia simply failed to attract gamers' attention, since its $40 price tag compared to free-to-play games like Surveillance 2 and Marvel Rivals to the “uninteresting” character designs that drew criticism.

ConcordiaShutdown means that Secret level is now the only remaining trace of the game that consumers can directly interact with. Unfortunately, it was only able to show Concordiapotential, and it wasn't enough for the game to continue at all. In fact, it was somewhat surprising that Secret level didn't pull your Concordia episode after the game's cancellation, and series creator Tim Miller made some comments about the situation (via Variety).

“My first thought when we heard this wasn't, 'Oh, woe is us' for our show — we actually feel bad for these people, because they're friends and fellow artists and people who are willing to take some risks. And we both know what it's like to not succeed in those risks, and they're really good people who are just trying to make a great play.”

Miller clearly had a lot of empathy for his fellow creators, and from the start Concordia episode of Secret level was already completed when the game closed, he kept it on the show out of respect for his employees (via Collider).

“Firstly, we have other episodes that have no existing games out there, either because they haven't been released yet, or because they were released in the past and aren't currently published. about it. But also, why? Hundreds of artists, animators, lighters, and modelers worked on this episode, and it's great. The characters are cool. for hard work to be shown to the world? It's a great episode, regardless of what happened.”

Based on Miller's comments, it appears Secret Level was a prequel and a farewell to Concordia. Interestingly, the show also works as a surprisingly fitting way to say goodbye to the ill-fated game.

Secret level gives Concord a silent, perfect send-off

The Secret Level's Ending Is a Surprisingly Fitting and Bittersweet Goodbye to Concord

Although it was never intended to be the last thing the general public would get out of the world of Concordia, Secret level does a surprisingly good job of saying goodbye to the game and its universe. The end of Tale of the Implacable sees the Freegunners broadcast their map across the universe and then plunge headlong into the Storm and, apparently, its destruction. Then, an indeterminate amount of time is cut for the narrator to spread the legend of the Relentless in a bar and saying that it doesn't matter if they lived or died, it matters that they were never caught.

The end of Tale of the Implacable evokes many parallels with Concordia in the real world. However Concordia functionally no longer exists, the story and universe that Firewalk Studios created still had an effect, and Secret level helped to live. ConcordiaThe universe was still able to tell a compelling story, and the artists who worked on it still put their hearts into their creations. Just like the crew of the RelentlessIt doesn't matter how the story ended, just that it happened in the first place. That way, Secret level It's a sweet and appropriate way to say goodbye Concordia.