Review: The Legend of Vox Machina “The Terror of Tal’Dorei – Part 1”; “The Terror of Tal’Dorei – Part 2”; “The Feast of Realms”

 

 

Overview:

“The Terror of Tal’Dorei – Part 1”

A new threat has been decimating villages throughout the outskirts of Emon. The greatest warriors that Sovereign Uriel has to offer has been no match for the mysterious beast. A call to action for a band of legendary warriors has reached the most ragtag group of adventurers in the land, Vox Machina. Unfortunately, the party has no idea what they have signed up for.

 

“The Terror of Tal’Dorei – Part 2”

Licking their wounds after a disastrous loss, Vox Machina return to Sovereign Uriel to reveal the beast they met in the outskirts of Emon. However, the council that hired them is hiding some secrets from these freelance beast hunters. Thankfully, following a trail of clues leads the party to the beast’s hidden lair. But can Vox Machina come out ahead in a second-round against a powerful foe?

 

“The Feast of Realms”

The new champions of Sovereign Uriel, Vox Machina, have been formally invited to a palace feast. Unfortunately, some of the guests are not exactly friends. Especially the Lord and Lady of Briarwood, who unravel pieces of Percy’s tortured past. Unable to control himself, Percy begins a battle that he cannot win and crosses a moral line to the surprise of his bandmates.

 

Our Take:

It is finally here. Hundreds of hours of role-playing games, one of the most popular streaming shows on Twitch, and an $11 million Kickstarter campaign has led up to this day: the official release of The Legend of Vox Machina.

For the unaware, The Legend of Vox Machina is the darling new animated series from the hosts and participants of Critical Role, a web series featuring the ongoing Dungeons & Dragons campaigns of celebrity voice actors. The live-recorded RPG webseries is adored by millions of fans globally, as Matthew Mercer and friend’s roll the dice, explore their fantasy adventures, and have fun along the way. Now, Critical Role is hoping to land a perfect 20 with their new Prime Video animated series, The Legend of Vox Machina.

Transitioning hundreds of hours of role-playing into a shortened series has been one of the hottest topics of interest around the new show. For more behind-the-scenes info on how the legendary party approached this new adventure, check out our exclusive interview with a few of the Critical Role cast members.

As for the premiere of The Legend of Vox Machina, the animated fantasy adventure starts out with a bang.

The first scene audiences are treated to is a violent and gory death to some powerful sorcerers, warriors, and half-elves. The opening sequence is a precursor for what is instore throughout the season. And a giant warning sign that this is not your typical fantasy epic, but something much more adult-themed.

Most exceptionally, the 12-episode first season starts out with a humble two-part story to get the audience’s feet wet. The semi-isolated adventure allows the show to introduce its ragtag band of characters and put them through the wringer within the first 20 minutes. By the time the plot concludes in the second episode, fans have an honest taste of what the show is about and have already witnessed the heroes lose and win.

Honestly, it is one of the best ways to start a series, a condensed arch that establishes a status quo and lays the groundwork for something much larger. If more shows could offer a similar approach to their beginnings, much less time would be wasted trying to catch up – or worse, slumming through endless episodes only to decide a show is not right for you.

However, despite the mini-plot, there still remains a significant learning curve for unindoctrinated fans, especially for potential viewers unfamiliar with the immense lore behind Dungeons and Dragons. Thankfully, The Legend of Vox Machina manages to walk the audience through the more prominent fantasy themes while not dumbing things down too much for established fans.

Finally, the third episode released, “The Feast of Realms,” sets the stage for the larger plots to unfold throughout the season. Included is the introduction of the Lord and Lady of Briarwood, a dangerous pair of villains that Critical Role fans are ecstatic to see on screen. Set to be the main antagonists of the first season, it is easy to see why there is so much excitement around the Briarwood duo. They prove instantly to be high-level adversaries while stirring up some emotional damage for certain characters.

With three new episodes set to be released weekly, it will be easy to get excited about The Legend of Vox Machina over the next month. Whether a hardcore D&D player or the brink of your fantasy knowledge ends with The Lord of the Rings movies, this series is doing something different. Critical Role became a viral sensation because it follows a group of close friends having fun while playing a game. That same notion translates onto the screen as it feels like watching grown-ups play with their toys.