Critical Role’s latest D&D show isn’t the reboot we expected

Halfway through its eight episodes, Exandria unlimited promises to be a wonderful little Dungeons & Dragons adventure set in the world of Critical Role’s Exandria. This latest series of real-life games features a new host, new cast members, and a new pre-recorded format. But it’s actually heading for longer episodes than its predecessors. While this is great fun for existing fans, it might not be the best place for newcomers to start with this franchise.

Critical Role is a company founded by voice actor Matt Mercer and his close friends, who are also professional voice actors. Their main product is a live-streamed show where they play D&D, also known as The True Game Series. Once a week since 2012, they’ve shown up on Twitch to browse two different campaigns called Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein, both of which take place in their own high fantasy world of Exandria.

It’s hard to just underestimate How Critical role there is already in the world. That’s huge, with 256 shows over just two seasons and over 1,000 hours of existing content. (For the context, Grey’s Anatomy – a 17-season medical procedure – only lasts 363 hours.) There is also a source book on D&D publisher’s critical role Wizards of the Coast, a line of miniatures from WizKids, an average board game, and two seasons from an animated series on the way to Amazon Prime Streaming.

Despite the commercial success of Critical Role, reviews for the series have multiplied over the years – first, that the cast wasn’t diverse enough, and second, that there really was no easy way to get there. understand this world without starting from scratch. the beginning.

There is still none.

Introducing the show to a new audience, Critical Role said newcomers “can fully embark on this adventure.” This is not entirely true. New fans can easily feel like they are joining an adventure that began without them. The series begins with a group of characters who have already known each other for a week, appearing to have existing relationships but experiencing shared amnesia. It’s not a smooth ramp for new viewers.

While this is different from the classic “you meet at a tavern” trope, it can make newcomers feel like they’re missing something. Rather than creating a sense of mystery for viewers to unravel with impatience, it almost feels like you jumped into an episode too late, as if you were trying to figure out what’s going on. That leaves you with the old cliché that “it gets good in a few episodes,” but sitting around for a few episodes here is no small feat.

The biggest problem is the length of the show. Three of the first four episodes are longer than four hours, longer than the average length of previous Critical Role episodes. To put this in perspective, you can watch the entire Loki in less time than it takes to get through the first two episodes.

While this sort of sprawling style is understandable during the live broadcast – which has always been the band’s favorite format – it can be difficult for viewers to find so much uninterrupted time. And yet Exandria unlimited was pre-recorded, suggesting it could have been a more streamlined experience. It seems more than a little complacent and represents a missed opportunity to make the show more open and engaging.

At any rate, Exandria unlimited is still a big step in the right direction. So far, Mercer has been the only Dungeon Master (DM) to take over this Tolkien-style world. The new DM in the series, Aabria Iyengar, is extraordinary. Although she has exceptionally large shoes to fill in, she manages to create an incredibly detailed and beautiful world while having her own unique style.

However, it is a very different style of play. Iyengar lets her DM mask drop far more often than Mercer ever did, openly saying when her players hijacked her and bringing ridiculous real-world references to Exandria’s canon. She’s much more spontaneous and relaxed, although that doesn’t mean her stories aren’t going to hit you as hard as Mercer’s. Some of her descriptions are better than some fantasy novels and, without saying too much, the way she brings back old characters and breathes new life into them is more than enjoyable. Some fans of the show have grown attached to the idea that Mercer’s manner is the only way to act, but Iyengar’s work here proves that Critical Role doesn’t always need Mercer at the head of the table to be successful.

The construction of the world and the characters of Exandria unlimited are also a delight. Not only does Iyengar bring viewers to a detailed, rich, and vibrant place, but the player characters fill it with spontaneity and life. Unsurprisingly, perhaps the nicest thing to watch is Mercer. The brain really went offline for this adventure, diving into its one character and speaking the first without bothering to think. As Dariax Zaveon, a wizard with a criminal past, he broke free with a kind of childish abandon. He’ll say whatever comes to his mind and destroy whatever Iyengar and the gang have planned, always with deliciously weird consequences. After more than five years of derailed by its players, the shoe is now firmly on the other foot.

Aimée Carrero (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Helen of Avalor) is also a highlight. The actor was originally scheduled to join the cast for a cameo in Critical Role’s second campaign, but she must have been missing due to the pandemic. His character, Opal, is a naïve wizard, and Carrero fully engages in the doe-eyed small town character, allowing audiences to see the world of Exandria through the eyes of a true newcomer. Unlike newcomer Robbie Daymond (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sailor moon), Carrero is a real newbie, and it’s great for people nervous about D&D that you can play with literally no experience. While more seasoned players like Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: Rebels, The Last of Us Part 2), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us The Avengers), and Daymond are the more sane members of the group, often trying to push the plot forward, Mercer and Carrero rejoice at the ridiculousness that D&D can afford its players. This is arguably what the show should have more.

Through four episodes, Exandria unlimited has been able to retain what makes Critical Role so beloved by so many fans, while also bringing new voices to the table. You still feel like you’re watching a group of close friends play, while enjoying a high-stakes fantasy adventure.

Is it a bit twisty? Yes. Will newcomers be put off by the length of the time required? Absolutely. This is not the new start we expected. It’s not an adventure for the uninitiated, but rather an interstitial adventure filled with pre-existing lore and jokes about old campaigns, and no clear starting point for new fans to connect. But it’s still a lot of fun.

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