‘The Mighty Nein’ review: Critical Role hits new highs with their darkest series yet

My first introduction to Critical Role was not a clip from one of their campaigns, but a GIF set of their animated intro for Campaign 2. Scrolling through it on Tumblr, I was immediately charmed by the characters. Who was this cheerful blue Tiefling fighting enemies with glowing lollipops and unicorns? What was hidden in this clearly traumatized, fire-breathing magician’s past? And how did this disparate crew of ghosts, humans, orcs, and others come together?

With those questions in mind, I set off down the Critical Role rabbit hole in search of the adventuring party known as the Mighty Nine. Yet I just as much enjoyed watching these characters’ stories play out in an improvised manner Dungeons and Dragons format, I couldn’t help but be curious to expand on the animated introduction that introduced me to them in the first place.

Now, that expansion is here in the form of Critical Role’s new animated series The Mighty NineAnd it’s just as fantastic as I expected,

What is? The Mighty Nine About this?

Credit: Prime Video

The Mighty Nine Critical Role has a second animated series with Prime Video, following in the footsteps of The Legend of Vox MachinaWhile the latter took a few episodes to strike a balance between bawdy humor and high fantasy, The Mighty Nine moves forward quickly, presenting a darker, more mature story right from the start.

That story begins with a heist: a strike team of formidable wizards from the Dwendalian Empire steals the powerful Luxon Beacon from the Krynn Dynasty. The sequence plays out almost wordlessly, with pauses between deadly magic and hand-to-hand combat. It is a recreation of the world of Exandria, setting the stage for a devastating war between nations. This is also a very ridiculous option The Mighty NineStarting point of, because while Dwendalian wizards and Krynn soldiers are elite, highly organized forces, our titular heroes… are not.

Until The Mighty Nine begins, the actual Mighty Nine crew is still a long way from being assembled. Each member of the team (and as the name suggests there are only six of them) scatters about to deal with their own problems. And trust me, The Mighty Nine does No Skimp on painful backstories. Dirt-covered wizard Caleb Widogast (voiced by Liam O’Brien) searches for magical components while on the run from his past. Ghost thief Not the Brave (voiced by Sam Riegel) wallows in his sorrows every waking moment. Cobalt Soul monk Beauregard Lyonette (voiced by Marisha Ray) faces ridicule from her superiors, who dismiss her detective work based on her anger.

Don’t miss our latest stories: Add Mashable to Google as a trusted news source,

Elsewhere, shipwrecked sailor Fjord Stone (voiced by Travis Willingham) awakens with magical powers he didn’t ask for and doesn’t know how to use, while clown jester LaVore (voiced by Laura Bailey) is unable to get his patron god (and best friend) to answer his calls. Joining the group is Mollymawk Tealeaf (voiced by Taliesin Jaffe), a circus ringmaster brimming with charisma, yet plagued by worries about his circus’s closure (and some disturbing memories).

In short, these six have nothing in common. However, the ongoing conflict at Luxon Beacon will bring these outcasts together in unexpected ways and give them a chance to prove that maybe, just maybe, they can make a change for the better. However, based on the skill shown by both the Dwendalian and Krynn armies in the beginning, they have accomplished their task.

The Mighty Nine Builds a strong team.

Credit: Prime Video

The Mighty Nine He doesn’t take any shortcuts when it comes to bringing his team together. There is plenty of debate and infighting throughout the series, with each episode being a perfect showcase of the specific personalities the show is dealing with. Yet from these arguments emerge strong bonds of camaraderie, made even sweeter by the struggle it took to get there.

The Mighty Nine Manages to preserve all the wonderful relationships players have forged at the table over the course of Campaign 2: Knut and Caleb’s protectiveness of each other, Jester and Fjord’s playful friendship, Beau and Caleb’s growing respect and trust, Mollymock’s ability to bring everyone together… I could go on, like webs. The Mighty Nine The interweaving of its characters is as rich and diverse as the characters themselves.

The complexities of these characters and their relationships come to the fore not only in the dialogue but also in the conversations The Mighty NineAwesome action sequence. The Legend of Vox Machina has already set the standard on how to translate Critical Role’s battles into animation, but The Mighty Nine Far exceeds that standard when it comes to the use of magic.

This is because every magic user The Mighty Nine Has its own unique way of casting. Caleb uses physical components to create devastating spells, the Jester summons mini unicorns and glittering hordes of candy, Mollymauk casts a blood spell that even he’s surprised he has access to, and Fjord sends out watery blasts without knowing how. In the case of all four, but especially the latter two, watching them fight means watching them instantly discover new enchanting abilities. You’re watching the heroes grow into themselves in real time – and in spectacular fashion, thanks to Titmouse’s dazzling animation.

This feeling of discovery changes The Mighty Nine In an unforgettable story of becoming greater than you ever thought possible, and finding belonging you never imagined possible. It’s a family-friendly trope to a T-shirt, and honestly, when I dreamed up an animated series based on the Campaign 2 intro all those years ago, I never imagined it would be such a smash hit.

The first three episodes of The Mighty Nine Premieres November 19 on Prime Video, with a new episode every Wednesday.