🔗 Share this article

The Mighty Nein, the most recent animated adventure from the beloved role-playing group, revealed a new introductory sequence. It showcases our favorite group of outcasts, misfits, and criminals kicking ass and making their mark, while teasing at several agonizing personal histories for characters such as Liam O'Brien's wizard Caleb, and another actor's warlock orc, Fjord.

All in all, the intro looks amazing. But I couldn't help feeling that an element was lost in the music selection.

The intro uses "Welcome to Wildemount", an exceptional composition created by artist Colm McGuinness. It's a track originating from the soundtrack album of the same name, the second release put out by Critical Role Productions LLC's record label their music brand. It's a great nostalgic option, and I suspect that devotees of the sequel series will appreciate its presence.

But for me, The series' opening fails to capture the hype and excitement that was part of the second campaign's live-play sessions. "It's Your Turn", written by musician the artist, was an instant classic for me when it was first revealed in 2015, and it improved further when co-founder Sam Riegel wrote words to the melody for the series' animated intro in 2018.

Featuring vocals from one actress, another performer, a co-star, as well as the writer, the track was catchy and fun. Back then, I hadn't even watched the follow-up series yet, but it was so infectious that I still saved it on my device. It's a song that excites you before you start an installment of fantasy hijinks.

The Mighty Nein's intro with "Welcome to Wildemount" fails to hit the same chords for me. It's an impressive composition, but based on my understanding of the group, I feel that its mood is somewhat mismatched.

Of course, Critical Role has stated that the series will have some surprises and differences from the original live sessions. A tonal change for its opening seems to be among these.

This animated adventure will be available to watch on Prime Video from Nov. 19. For those eager until then, or want a head start to get to know the personas of Critical Role's Campaign 2, the actual play are accessible on Spotify and the video site.