User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Kecha Wacha/@comment-5020152-20150330001415

KECHA WACHA

Concept: Kecha Wacha is probably one of the most unique monsters in the game. Not only does he incorporate the "swinging-from-vines-overhead" mechanic first introduced in Monster Hunter Frontier (with Gogomoa), but he is also the very first flying mammal introduced in the series. These aren't the only innovations that make Kecha so special, but the overall concept is amazing. 9/10

Design: The design is one of those additional things that make Kecha Wacha so unique. He's essentially an amalgamation of several different real-life mammals, drawing traits from monkeys, gibbons, elephants, bats, and flying squirrels. The color scheme is quite beautiful, too, with a ton of warm reds and yellows and oranges that really show off his vibrant, comical nature. The coolest thing about Kecha is his patterned ears, which fold down over his face and give him a frightening mask, which in turn grants him an immunity to Flash Bombs. Sporting such a mix of cool traits means that Kecha definitely has one of the best designs in the game. 9/10

Sound: The sounds that come out of Kecha's trunk are extremely weird and yet oddly appealing. They consist of snorts, slurps, and squeals, and are almost indescribable in nature. Some of them even sound like liquid-like versions of the noises regular monkeys make. Kecha uses the generic Ancestral Steppe, Primal Forest, and Sunken Hollow music when you fight him in each of those areas. The Ancestral Steppe theme fits him the most out of the three, although it still doesn't quite fit him entirely... 6/10

Gameplay: Where do I even begin? Kecha is a versatile monster that can fight on land, on the vines, and in the sky. Appropriately, his attacks are very diverse, from complicated claw swings to temper tantrums to aerial tackles. Kecha can also flap around by using its membrane, outflanking you and kicking up gusts of wind in the process. To top it off, it can also shoot disgusting mucus from its trunk and inflict Waterblight. And when Kecha Wacha gets enraged, it becomes immune to Flash Bombs and its attacking speed gets a significant increase. Don't make the monkey mad! 8/10

New Stuff: The "swinging-from-vines" mechanic has been used by a monster in Frontier before, but Kecha Wacha brings this to the main series. It's a great mechanic that adds a third dimension to the hunt, much like underwater combat in MH3 and MH3U. 8/10

Equipment: Kecha Wacha gives pretty nice Water-element weapons and decent armor. The Switch Axe in particular is a really good tool that you can use to great effect against Basarios, Gravios, and Black Gravios. 8/10

Cutscene: The hunter walks into the area and immediately comes across the Kecha Wacha, who swings around on the vines tauntingly. When it finally settles down, it looks the hunter right in the eye before teasingly spraying mucus in the hunter's face. In my opinion, not the greatest cutscene ever, but I get a laugh out of it. 5/10

Summary: I'm not a fan of mammals, but still, there's no denying that Kecha Wacha is one of the greatest and most unique monsters in MH4U. Everything about him seems brand-new, from his design to his mechanics. Hunting it marks a checkpoint in the storyline, and marks you as a true hunter. Overall 7.5/10