User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Appreciation Week: Volvidon/@comment-1758220-20130510070520

 VOLVIDON: 

 Concpet:  I'm not overly wowed by the initial shtick behind this creature. We already have a gas spewing monster that rolls into a ball, and it already lives in the Volcano. Deciding to throw this idea into the Fanged Beast category was no doubt a measure taken to prevent Volvidon from contracting "Great Wroggi Syndrome". 5/10

 Design:  Well, I think it's logical to postulate that of the Fanged Beasts, Volvidon certainly has the most unique look to him. Whereas Arzuros is basically a bear, and Lagombi a not-overly-striking mix of rabbit and wombat, Volvidon is just a bit more liberal with the designwork on him. Sure, he's heavily inspired by the Armadillo, but he's got this sharp, devilish dragon-like face, short arms with giant, powerful hands attatched, and an anteater-like tongue that all serve to mix the pot of inspirations and ramp up the visual ambiguity. One thing I am not at all fond of however is the pair of ears it has. They're long, spiny, and I hate noticing them. Make it look a little too rat-like, but thankfully they're an easy feature to miss. At first glance, I remember being slightly put off by the totally red colour scheme this thing seemed to have. And while that does remain true under closer inspection, one thing I enjoy about the design is the subtle designwork on the inner body (the fleshy bits). They seem to be inspired by the skins of tropical reef fish or sea slugs, with stripes and swirls of blues, pinks, and yellows. And yet they are not immediately apparent. Their vibrance is restrained, and it helps you to subconsciously not be overwhelemed by the otherwise uniform redness. Design-wise, Volvidon is a notable step up from its furry contemporaries, and quite commendable by any standard. 8.5/10

 Sound:  As has been pointed out in other comments here, Volvidon's roar effect is really awesome. It's kind of a mix between the other two Fanged beasts, with the low baritone of Lagombi yet the abraisive loudness of Arzuros. I kind of which this voice was incorporated more into other moves, as we only ever really hear it on first sight. My thoughts on the Pelagus theme have not changed. It's not terrible, but it's really nothing special either. It's not overly threatening, which nicely fits the easy nature of these monsters. 7/10

 Gameplay:  Perhaps the "Volvidon is better than the other two Fanged Beasts" theme rings most true when it comes to actually fighting it. Volvidon has a whole bag of tricks to pull from, any many assets mixed together to create a unique combat experience. They definitely took the rolling-up feature we already saw in Uragaan and shot it to the moon. Volvidon pulls this off so much better in gameplay. He bounces, rolls, and slams himself like a cannonball, often combining these together, which makes the fight fast paced and about as far from stagnant as you can get. He can also paralyze and soil, the latter of which I don't think I've ever NOT been hit by, and these really work well as supporting moves. And of course if that wasn't enough, he has two different attacks that utilize his impossibly long, sticky tongue. However, and this is something that plagues all Fanged Beasts, Volvidon is still quite an easy monster to defeat. His health pool is quite low, and the damage he is able to deal is negligible at best. It's disappointing because I was hoping for this one to be the Yian Garuga of the family and actually offer a challenge where its bretheren don't. Sadly we do not get this, and it makes the rest of the combat experience feel like a bit of a waste. Volvidon's biggest strength combat-wise is a refreshing level of variety and egagement for an otherwise one-trick (Or in Arzuros's case, no-trick) class, but staggers in the lack of challenge it presents. 8/10

 Equipment:  First of all, what is up with the fact that every iteration of this armour looks exactly the same? Across all ranks, and for both blademaster and gunner, the Volvidon armour doesn't change visually at all, and it's really disappointing in this regard. Not bad usability-wise though, I even remember my very first Zinogre kill was done using Volvidon gear, so it's decent gear for sure. It's just so creepily (and lazily) identical-looking no matter what. As for weapons, they're decent, but by no means must-haves. In addition to not having overly wow-worthy usability, you actually have to path into most of them as opposed to forging them by themselves. Not worth it at all, and you'd be much better off just sticking with your Barroth weapons if you want to employ paralysis. 6.5/10

 Overall:  Volvidon finally manages to push the fanged beasts into a respectable territory as far as design and gameplay go. Though he sounds a little been-there-done-that on paper, he is surprisingly well-executed, with a healthily unique design and character. Though the experience of actually fighting him is a unique and fun one, he shares the same curse as his cousins and remains disproportionately easy given his ranking. Though the armour is respectably serviceable, the weapons are nothing to jump at, and you'd be better off just skipping them. A bit of a mixed bag here, with just a little more good than bad. 7/10