The Plesioth - REVIEW

PLESIOTH

Concept: Also known as the Water Wyvern, Master of the Lake, Hip Check King, etc. Plesioth was introduced in the very first MH game, and he stood out because he was the only aquatic monster ever featured until MH Tri. So many people hated Plesioth for two reasons – A) because he always lounged around in the water where most weapons couldn’t get to him, and B) because of his disgustingly-bad hitboxes (THAT GODDAMN HIP CHECK). Many people STILL hate Plesioth, even though he’s improved drastically in 3 Ultimate.

But to tell you the truth, Plesioth is my all-time favorite monster. I have a long history with this overgrown sushi dish, helping me to appreciate what he has to offer more than any other Monster Hunter fan. And let me tell you why. 10/10

Design: When I first laid eyes on Plesioth, all those years ago when I was barely ten years old, my mind was blown sky-high. My friend was playing Monster Hunter when I came over to his house, and I had just entered the room when I saw a GIANT FREAKING SHARK DRAGON come flying out of the water. Although Plesioth shares the same basic body structure as most other wyverns, his design is easily the best of them all. His body is covered with blue-and-orange scales, while his dorsal, head, and tail fins are large and spiky. Like other wyverns, Plesioth has wings, although they are shaped exactly like his fins and help him swim instead of fly. The shape of his head is just like that of a shark. Capcom may have designed some excellent monsters for their first Monster Hunter game, but their best idea of all had to have been combining a real-life oceanic apex predator with the most badass mythical creature in history. Plesioth was the one who introduced me to Monster Hunter in the best way possible – by blowing the limits off of my imagination. 10/10

Sounds: Several of Plesioth’s sounds are shared with Cephadrome, but the rest are all unique. Plesioth has a variety of noises that consist of low grunts, squelching sounds, yowling calls, and high-pitched shrieks. That last one, the screech he makes when firing his Water Cannon, is my personal favorite for no reason other than it just sounds awesome. In 3 Ultimate, Plesioth can only be encountered in Moga Woods and Flooded Forest (but he also inhabits the Misty Peaks in MH Generations). I must admit that the menacing Flooded Forest music is a good fit for him, but the Moga Woods theme is such a good soundtrack that I can’t help but prefer it when fighting Plesioth. 10/10

Gameplay: Ever played Freedom Unite? Then you will remember the God-awful Hip Check that Plesioth had back then. Seriously, that Hip Check was practically an Internet meme because of how UNFAIR it was. But everyone was happy to see that, when 3 Ultimate came out, Plesioth’s hitboxes had been (mostly) fixed so that they weren’t nearly as ridiculous.

Plesioth fights with a combination of power and clumsiness when on land. The expression “fish out of water” is the perfect way to sum up how Plesioth moves about. His favorite attack is the one where he flops onto his belly and slithers forward, which has a lot of power behind it and covers a surprising distance. Other attacks that Plesioth is fond of are the Tail Whip – which is arguably even WORSE than before because its hitboxes are still bad and because Plesioth can pull it out much faster – and the Hip Check. Underwater, Plesioth is much more graceful and maneuverable, constantly swimming circles around your bumbling hunter self. He attacks mostly with the Tail Whip and Water Cannon, but he also features a few new moves, such as the ones I call the Breaching Jump and the Thrash. Personally, I love fighting Plesioth underwater, and land combat is also good because of how much better it is from Freedom Unite. There is no doubt about it – Plesioth has improved. 10/10

(Plesioth is also back in MH Generations. Not only do we have to fight him Freedom Unite-style, but he also comes packing a SUPER HIP CHECK. Needless to say, I have mixed feelings about his return.)

New Stuff: If there was one thing new about Plesioth better than the fixed hitboxes, it was his reintroduction to a game where he could truly shine – in underwater combat. No more scurrying around tossing Sonic Bombs to get the big fish out of the water! In 3 Ultimate, hunters could finally chase after the long-hated piscine wyvern when he retreated into his domain. 10/10

Equipment: Top-notch Water-element damage, please! Plesioth does better than give you a good fight, he rewards you with the ability to forge some awesome equipment, too! Plesioth weapons are right up there with Ceadeus weapons in terms of the Water damage, and they have some awesome designs to boot. Take the Hammer, for example - it’s his head on a stick! The armor is very slick as well, looking like a stylish wetsuit and sporting a great set of skills. Trap Master and Capture Master are essential for capturing monsters (and thusly getting a chance of obtaining those rare materials), but Mind’s Eye is just EXCELLENT in any scenario. 10/10

Cutscene: A herd of Epioth peacefully stick their heads above the water, while something cruises around below. Only brief flashes of the creature can be seen as it slowly closes in on the Epioth, before suddenly striking from below. The Plesioth jumps high into the air before plunging back down with the grace of a fish. This cutscene does a lot more than show you how good of a predator he is – it also lets you know how adept he is at water combat, and guess where you Freedom Unite veterans are going to be fighting him 80% of the time? 10/10

Summary: My favorite monster of all time. Plesioth may have been an absolute PAIN in the old days, but no-one can deny that 3 Ultimate brought him up to snuff. I love everything about this shark wyvern – the fight is awesome and fun, the music only makes it better, and the equipment you can make from his parts is amazing through and through. I do have a bit of history with Plesioth, and I will admit that contributes greatly to why I love him so much, but there’s no doubt that every other aspect of this monster is excellent. A goblet of Tanzian Ale to Plesioth, who shall forever be my favorite monster in this amazing franchise. (But Hororohoruru is coming close to knocking him off his throne…) Overall 10/10