Secret Level Episode 6 Ending & Pac-Man Connections Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Secret Level episode 6.

Secret Level episode 6’s ending changes Pac-Man forever, telling a dark, trippy story with no shortage of references to the original game. When considering movies that are video game adaptations, Pac-Man would not be a game picked to adapt. The game is simple and repetitive in its premise, offering little in the way of story or character that can be conveyed via film or TV. Nonetheless, Pac-Man was picked as one of the franchises for Prime Video’s Secret Level, a video game-based anthology series.

However, rather than being a more faithful adaptation of Pac-Man in the vein of video game TV shows like The Last of Us or Fallout, Secret Level takes a radically different direction. Secret Level episode 6’s ending proves this by finalizing the dark twist it takes on the world of Pac-Man as the titular character is left trying to break out of an endless maze with seemingly no exit. Existential dread, bloody battles, and extreme gore are not expected of Pac-Man, but by the time of Secret Level episode 6’s ending, they become part of the maze.

Secret Level Episode 6’s Ending Puts A Dark Twist On Pac-Man’s Fate

What Becomes Of This New Version Of Pac-Man?

As of Secret Level episode 6’s ending, Pac-Man is left in a dark place. The character spends the entire episode building up to escaping the maze in which they are locked by training to overcome the monsters and ghosts that lurk in the labyrinth. However, as the episode ends, Pac-Man is left in a state that would send anyone into a spiral. Pac-Man manages to defeat the red ghost, Blinky, but is betrayed and kept inside the maze by an intriguing ally-turned-enemy.

Blinky is widely considered to be Pac-Man’s nemesis in the video games, explaining his appearance as the final obstacle in
Secret Level
.

The final sequence of Secret Level episode 6’s ending shows Pac-Man slowly knocking against the exit of the maze, repeating the words “There is strength in repetition” with dwindling conviction. Being locked in a maze with nothing by monsters and ghosts that want to eat you would be an awful situation for anyone, yet it is never something associated with Pac-Man. Secret Level episode 6 explores this, showing the existential dread of an endless cycle that, while Pac-Man assumes this cycle gives them strength, it may just be a fruitless endeavor that is forever doomed to repeat.

Secret Level Episode 6’s Dark Character Twist Explained: Why Does Pac-Man Attack The Man?

Characters Are Switched In A Shocking Ending

Secret Level episode 6 begins with a humanoid man being birthed from some kind of pod. The man is awakened by a floating gold orb and told that to escape the maze, he must eat rather than be eaten. This leads him to a sword sporting the Pac-Man symbol as the floating orb trains him to fight the creatures of the maze and eat them to gain strength. This all implies that the man who was birthed from the pod is Pac-Man and the floating orb is the power pellet that allows Pac-Man to eat his enemies in the original game.

However, the ending of Secret Level episode 6 provides a shocking twist. The man is defeated almost instantly by the red ghost’s manifestation, stating he cannot win. The floating orb says “I know,” revealing her to be Pac-Man after all, as she opens her mouth to resemble Pac-Man’s iconic pie-like shape. Pac-Man then digs her way into the humanoid man’s back, using his accumulated power to defeat the red ghost as a giant manifestation of the iconic video game character. This makes the man Pac-Man’s pellet, as “eating” him allowed the ghosts to be destroyed, explaining the betrayal and twist.

Is Pac-Man A Villain In Secret Level Episode 6? Why The Man Doesn’t Let Her Escape

Pac-Man’s Containment May Be For The Better

An interesting element of Secret Level episode 6 is that Pac-Man does not escape the maze. After being betrayed by Pac-Man, the humanoid man reaches inside himself and pulls Pac-Man free, disabling her power that unlocks the exit from the labyrinth. This raises the intriguing question of whether Pac-Man is actually the villain in Secret Level. If Pac-Man was the hero as the character is in the original games, one would think the episode would detail his – or hers, in this case – escape from the maze and the defeat of the ghosts.

Although wanting to escape the maze is certainly valid and the fate of Pac-Man in
Secret Level
episode 6’s ending is somewhat tragic…

As alluded to, this is not the case with Secret Level episode 6. Pac-Man is hindered by the humanoid man, and his final line of ” You are the one trapped” implies that she should not be freed. This coincides with Pac-Man’s manipulation of the man and the countless other subjects shown at the end of the episode with whom she will continue to try the same thing. Although wanting to escape the maze is certainly valid and the fate of Pac-Man in Secret Level episode 6’s ending is somewhat tragic, her methods are still presented in a very morally questionable way.

Every Pac-Man Reference In Secret Level Episode 6

Secret Level’s Different Story Does Not Stop The Pac-Man Easter Eggs

Despite the take on Pac-Man being very different, there are several references to the original game by the time of Secret Level episode 6. Firstly, the humanoid man finds Pac-Man‘s iconic red cherries in the jungle. Then, as explored above, the sword he finds has the shape of Pac-Man embedded in the hilt. Later in the episode, a purple ghost is spotted flying across a barren desert as the humanoid man and Pac-Man hide from it.

The purple ghost was first introduced in
Ms. Pac-Man
, hinting at Pac-Man’s real identity in
Secret Level
as the character is voiced by Emily Swallow.

The premise of Secret Level episode 6 involves the humanoid man eating as much as he can to gain strength. This is a reference to the original game as the sole focus is eating pellets, fruit, and ghosts to become stronger in terms of increasing the player’s score. Finally, the red ghost – Pac-Man’s nemesis – is the final monster she defeats in Secret Level.

The Real Meaning Of Secret Level Episode 6’s Ending

On the whole, the real meaning of Secret Level episode 6’s ending was to explore the futility of Pac-Man. The game is fun and has stood the test of time for a reason, but the repetition and point of the source material are explored via one line in Secret Level episode 6: “There is strength in repetition.” The phrase itself is true, but the utter defeat in Pac-Man’s voice when she says this in the episode’s ending conveys the real meaning of the story.

Pac-Man is about doing the same things over and over again: eating pellets, fruits, power pellets, and ghosts. After this, Pac-Man moves to another stage to do exactly the same thing, but for what? For a high score, yes, but if viewing this through Secret Level‘s lens of characters with real motivations, Pac-Man does this to die and do it again. Herein lies the futility of the cycle that never ends, linking to Secret Level episode 6’s title of “Circle,” and the real meaning of the exploration of Pac-Man on a much darker plane of thought.