After the launch of Critical Role’s new animated series “The Mighty Nein”, the first 3 episodes already achieve a perfect rating of 100%. MeinMMO editor Caro also finds that the second animated campaign does quite a bit better than the team’s first Amazon hit.
How do the first 3 episodes of “The Mighty Nein” perform? On Rotten Tomatoes, “The Mighty Nein” already has a score of 96% on the popcorn meter (over 50 audience ratings) and a perfect 100% on the tomato meter (16 critic reviews).
That Critical Role has done a lot right with their new approach to their second animated campaign was already evident from the first reactions, when the first episode was already viewable on YouTube before its official release: A longer episode duration, expanded content not yet seen in the campaign serving as a kind of introduction to the world and the characters, as well as the detailed depiction of magic thrilled many fans. However, the animated series based on Dungeons & Dragons, which tells the shared adventure of a colorful yet imperfect group of outsiders, has now also convinced critics.
Here you can see the trailer for Critical Role’s second animated series:
Those who liked The Legend of Vox Machina will love The Mighty Nein
What do critics say about the launch of “The Mighty Nein”? On Rotten Tomatoes, the various opinions of different critics not only resulted in a perfect score of 100%, but also provided insight into what makes the series so compelling and good in their eyes:
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes praise not only the animation and pacing but especially the characters of the new series, which we also introduce here on MeinMMO.
“The connections The Mighty Nein weaves between its characters are as extensive and diverse as the characters themselves,” writes Belen Edwards from Mashable, and Matthew Aguilar from ComicBook.com finds that the ‘heroes’ of the group simply enchant their viewers: “It’s hard not to fall in love with Jester, Nott, and Mollymauk, regardless of whether you’ve seen the original campaign or not …”
However, the comparison to Critical Role’s first Amazon hit, “The Legend of Vox Machina”, is unavoidable, and it certainly does not make “The Mighty Nein” look any worse.
“The Mighty Nein is a worthy successor to The Legend of Vox Machina and gives the high fantasy adventures that Critical Role masters so well a darker tone,” writes David Opie from Tech Advisor, and Francesco Cacciatore from Polygon states that “The Mighty Nein” will appeal even more to fans of the previous project: “Having watched all eight episodes, I can confidently say: If you liked The Legend of Vox Machina, you will love The Mighty Nein.”
This is what MeinMMO editor Caro says about the first three episodes of “The Mighty Nein”:
I had (and still have) really high expectations for the adaptation of the new series, because I was not only a fan of “Vox Machina“, but “The Mighty Nein” is also my favorite campaign from Critical Role. When I found out that “The Mighty Nein” would not only bring longer episodes but also more content and a whole new pacing, I was absolutely optimistic – and I’m glad to say that this approach is exactly the right one.
The slight reworking of the story to better highlight the backgrounds of the characters and the world, as well as to show how some characters and important duos come together, was absolutely the right decision here.
I liked “Vox Machina“ a lot, but the presentation of the protagonists and their motivations makes the “heroes” of “The Mighty Nein” simply more relatable. They are not as heroic as the characters from “Vox Machina“, have clear flaws, and need to find each other first – and watching that unfold is so much fun.
Overall, “The Mighty Nein” simply feels darker and tougher without losing the charm and humor, which is especially contributed by characters like Nott and Jester. The series takes itself quite seriously, and that also affects the viewer.
I already thought I would love my beloved characters from “The Mighty Nein”, but just by the start of the series, I realize why the second campaign and its personalities are so dear to me.
Next Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the next episode of “The Mighty Nein” will be released on Amazon Prime, which will then be published weekly until the final episode of the first season on December 22, 2025.
By then or during the Christmas season, you would have the opportunity to watch the season in one go. If you want to learn more about the characters of the Mighty Nein, you can do so here on MeinMMO: Critical Role’s new series starts today on Amazon – Here are the Mighty Nein
