Despite the success of the original Squid Game series, Netflix failed to capture the audience for its new series based on the popular K-Drama, Squid Game: The Challenge.

Squid Game: The Challenge Critique

Also Read: Squid Game’s Player Who Suffered A Mental Breakdown on Reality Show Gets Called Out

Squid Game: The Challenge is just like its predecessor but with a slight twist — it’s not acting, these are real people with real lives! There’s nothing to worry about, they’re not actually killing contestants for failing the challenge. The stakes are the same, $4.56 million cash prize and only one winner.

The challenge starts with 456 players playing the ‘red light, green light’ game hosted by the famous Squid Game doll. As the challenge proceeds the show becomes predictable with the same games as the original series. Red guards operating behind the scenes just like in the show and the contestants fake dying after being hit with a paint bullet add a charmless level of cringe to the show.

The only thing that helped this reality show is its “tests” that they present in between challenges to create a ruckus among the contestants. These tests create the main element of the series — survival instincts. It pushes each contestant to form an alliance, but at the same time to stay away from people and have a low profile.

Watching your friends get eliminated, allies turning out to be backstabbers, and the need for revenge was embraced mainly due to these tests which are different from the original Squid Game series. It leaves a person torn apart as they see $10,000 being added to the pot after getting a person eliminated, but that’s the game and they look out for the big bucks.

Up until now, only one new game has been added in the series which is featured in episode 3. Each mini-challenge or test creates more impact on the people than any major challenge has done.

The show feels like a boring and unnecessary version of the thrilling K-Drama. It feels like Netflix attempting to milk every cent out of one of their most popular entries, a series that no-one asked for. It’s not Season 2 of the series but it’s not ‘The Challenge’ of Squid Game either. Now, I’m not saying the games are easy, because they’re not. However, it lacks the genuine thrills and excitement that the original series so perfectly crafted.

For now, only 5 episodes are available to watch, Netflix will release the next four episodes on November 29, 3 a.m. ET and the last episode on December 6 at the same time. It’s hard to speculate the winner at this point due to the game’s unpredictable nature. Who are you rooting for?

Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on Netflix.

4/10

Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.