🔗 Share this article

The Mighty Nein, the most recent animated adventure from Critical Role, revealed an exciting introductory sequence. It showcases our favorite cast of misfits, outcasts, and criminals kicking ass and making their mark, while teasing at several agonizing backstories for characters including Liam O'Brien's mage Caleb, and Travis Willingham's warlock orc, the character Fjord.

All in all, the opening appears stunning. However, I felt that something was missing in the music selection.

This sequence uses "Welcome to Wildemount", a truly stellar composition created by producer and singer the talented musician. This piece originating from the soundtrack album of the same name, the second release released by the production company's music division their music brand. It's a great nostalgic choice, and I believe that fans of the second campaign will love its inclusion.

But for me, The series' opening doesn't quite capture the hype and excitement that was part of the second campaign's live-play sessions. "Your Turn to Roll", composed by singer-songwriter Jason Charles Miller, was an instant classic for me when it was initially unveiled in 2015, and it improved further when co-founder Sam Riegel wrote words to the tune for the animated Campaign 2 opening in the later year.

Featuring vocals from one actress, another performer, a co-star, as well as the writer, the song was catchy and fun. At the time, I hadn't seen the follow-up series at that point, but it was so infectious that I still saved it on my device. This track that excites you before you start an installment of adventurous fun.

The show's intro with "the new song" fails to hit the same chords for me. It's an impressive composition, but from what I know of the group, I can't help but feel that its mood is somewhat mismatched.

Of course, Critical Role has already said that the animated show will have a few surprises and differences from the actual-play campaign. A tonal change for its intro seems to be one of them.

The Mighty Nein will be released on Prime Video from Nov. 19. For those eager before that, or want a head start to learn about the personas of the second series, the original episodes are accessible on the audio platform and the video site.