User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Vaal Hazak/@comment-4969421-20180823182041

It's finally time to appreciate on my third favorite World monster! I love Vaal Hazak. I would have never imagined I'd like a monster like him so much but here we are.

Vaal is one of those blessed mons that just does everything right. Any skepticism I had about the design was blown away once I actually had the opportunity to take a closer look of it.

At first it appears as a really creepy creature covered in dead monsters' rotting flesh, with it simply dangling off as if it were a cloak and hood. The few body parts it has exposed include claws and wing talons, which with their hooked shape resemble scythes. All of this make the intended grim reaper aesthetic very easily recognizable. However, if we take away the flesh he covers himself with, Vaal Hazak is actually a very simple, generic dragon. Its most notable features on its mostly featureless design are the smooth silver scales and its head, which has an elongated double jaw and, curiously, bioluminiscent spots. Although at first this can seem unexpected, the whole abyssal fish design Vaal has going on makes perfect sense, because he lives in the deepest parts of the Vale, which, at the same time, are at the bottom of the Coral Highlands (AKA the actual area with the sea motif). The dynamic of those two areas and the duality between them is amazing and I absolutely LOVE how Vaal is at the centerpoint of it all with a design that not only manages to intertwine both areas, but ALSO manages to look natural without giving up its creepiness.

Now I just said natural, because that is also of Vaal's biggest strengths. When you have "Death" as one of your main design motifs, one would think the monster's abilities would inevitably fall into the supernatural and fantasy tier that World tries so hard to avoid. None of that. As an Elder Dragon, Vaal Hazak is rightfully powerful, yes, but nothing more. He's not undead, he does not eat souls, he's not actually necromancer. His "lifesteal" ability is in fact just him gathering the Effluvium he controls back into its body. I see him as a better Gore, because there's a much better explanation, both conceptually and ecologically, for his attacks and abilities. The fight itself I find it actually pretty fun, moveset is alright, nice touch of the Effluvium surrounding its mouth or body right before it attacks. It makes you pay close attention to your remaining health and how many attacks you can take before your life bar is cut in half. Different enough, although honestly I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much if Nullberries weren't a quick consumption item.

And at last, the most important aspect of this (or any) monster is that he is CUTE! Seriously he is up there with Chammy as "cutest elders" and I am appalled no one in this blog has mentioned it! I love seeing this fish just casually strutting around as if a corpse and effluvium covered deathdragon was a commonplace sight in the Rotten Vale. Another thing that is also just so tragically adorable is how he whimpers like a dog when fliched, as well as when paralyzed. It makes farming him impossible! I don't want to bully this fish dog. He did nothing wrong. I wish I could just pat his head and feed him artemia. Aside from those two not-really flaws, Vaal's sound design is phenomenal. I love his actual roar, and that completely unexpected WOOOAAAAAAAAH he does when he taunts. And his theme is my second favorite in World. That harpsichord is just out of this world.