User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Seltas/@comment-1758220-20150310211951

 SELTAS 

 Concept:  It's about time Capcom took another crack at the Neopteron boss paradigm. I know I personally was left wanting a little more from the class when Vespoid Queen appeared in MHFU. She was just a big Vespoid with very few unique moves or animations, and all she really did was remind me how much untapped potential the Neopteron class had for boss monsters. But now they've finally gone and done it, an entirely original insect boss. What's more, they've taken it a step further and introduced Seltas as one half of a monster duo, a first for the main series. In short, I'm glad Capcom gave the Neopterons another chance, and their representation is one of my favourite things about the fourth generation. 9/10

 Design:  Definitely a lot more going on here than in Vespoid Queen. He may be fairly small, but he's pretty dense in terms of design elements. The spines, knobs, and segmented sections flesh him out nicely, and the head-spear is an interesting touch, making him look like a living torpedo as he darts about. The designers pulled from the meanest insects on earth, such as wasps and mantises, and threw them together to make a truly unfriendly-looking bug. On the other hand, the jewel-like sheen and intricate patterns on his carapace are actually kind of beatiful, reminiscent of the "body art" seen on many real-world bugs. Nice to see Capcom putting some real effort into their bug bosses, visually. 8/10

 Sound:  I guess I'll take this oppurtunity to discuss the mini boss theme in 4th gen (Which I neglected to do las week). In short: I like it. It's exotic, frantic, and somewhere between playful and genuinely intimidating. I think I like the Great -ggi theme from 3rd gen a little better, but it's got enough oomph to make the mini bosses feel like a worthy fight, without overblowing their presence like the general area themes would. In terms of Seltas himself, his sound effects are pretty standard, with buzzes, chirps, and squeals. Nothing too noteworthy. 7.5/10 (Music), 5/10 (Seltas)

 Gameplay:  He's a beginner monster and a mini boss, so I can't fault him too hard for being easy. In fact, I'd count him as being more difficult for beginners than Great Jaggi or Arzuros, mainly because of how much faster and more manouverable he is. He's kind of a pain when he floats around out of reach though (especially with weapon classes that have a short reach), and I wish he had a little bit more move variety beyond dive-bombing, claw-swiping and slime-shooting. 7/10

 Equipment:  Unfortunately for beginners, Seltas doesn't really have an armour set of his own, and so players have to wait until they unlock Seltas Queen before they can make any kind of armour from this guy. His weapons are okay. I appreciate the quick foray into green sharpness for beginners, but their viability as water weapons are kind of overshadowed by the Kecha Wacha and Zamtrios stuff. 5/10

 Intro Cutscene:  Very "meh". It's basically just Seltas darting past the hunter a couple of times before the battle starts. Not to mention it takes place in one of the dullest areas on the map. Yawn. 4/10

 Overall:  Seltas is a fairly cool introduction to the creepy-crawly bosses of fourth gen. He's got a great design, and his inclusion as part of a monster duo is really cool. He's a decent challenge for newcomers, although he evetually just bores and annoys experienced players. His equipment leaves a little to be desired, mainly because it all plays second fiddle to either his girlfriend or other water monsters. Still, he's not a bad monster in any sense of the word, I just wish he had a bit more of his own presence and that he wasn't so finicky to fight with certain weapons. In a word, he's decent. 6/10