User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Tetsucabra/@comment-5020152-20150404213423

TETSUCABRA

Concept: He’s a frog, no doubt about that. But he somehow manages to be everything a frog is not. Frogs are small, delicate, and cute – Tetsucabra is gigantic, tough as nails, and absolutely terrifying. While amphibians aren’t high on the food chain in the real world, Capcom managed to conceive an amphibian apex predator when they created the Tetsucabra, which really drives home the point that everything in Monster Hunter is big enough to wreck you. 9/10

Design: Tetsucabra has the familiar red-and-blue color scheme that is used by some species of poison dart frogs. The colors are startlingly bright for a cave-dwelling monster, which again shows that the Tetsucabra is tough enough to do away with camouflage. His body plan is undoubtedly anuran, but his four limbs are armed with huge muscles and sharp claws. Instead of skin, the ‘cabra has scaly body armor. If that wasn’t enough to scare you, he’s also sporting a nice pair of titanic tusks that he uses to heft equally massive boulders. Add it all up, and it creates a monstrosity that will make beginning hunters quake in their boots and expert hunters gape in awe. 8/10

Sound: The only time the ‘cabra croaks is when he’s dead. The sounds he makes on a regular basis are gravelly snarls and growls. And when the ‘cabra gets mad, he belts out an awesome, guttural howl that is loud enough to deafen any hunter without Earplugs, and scary enough to make rookies question their reasoning for hunting this thing. Tetsucabra can be fought in the Sunken Hollow and sometimes the Frozen Seaway. The Sunken Hollow theme in particular suits the 'cabra to a tee, being dark and menacing and generally suited for a cave monster. 8/10

Gameplay: Tetsucabra doesn’t beat around the bush with silly attacks, like Kecha Wacha does. He uses nothing less than sheer brute force in battle. This doesn’t limit his range of moves, though – the ‘cabra uses earth-shaking stomps, powerful lunges, and more in his attempts to crush you like a bug. His most damaging and most impressive move is where he crushes a boulder in his jaws, spraying the shards around his vulnerable face. When he does this, his tail inflates and becomes more vulnerable to compensate. Fighting the ‘cabra keeps you on your toes, whether you’re searching for an opportunity to attack his tail or you’re trying not to be flattened, and it’s immensely fun. Oddly enough, he’s weak to the Water element, meaning that you can play the type advantage game by bringing along Kecha Wacha weapons. 8/10

New Stuff: N/A

Equipment: Tetsucabra equipment is generally Japanese in design. The weapons don’t seem to be anything special, but the armor grants a number of useful skills, such as Defense Up and Speed Sharpening. And his Great Sword is friggin' awesome-looking. 6/10

Cutscene: The hunter is ambushed by a pair of Jaggi at the edge of a pond, and out of which lunges a Tetsucabra that makes short work of the smaller predators. He notices the hunter, advances, and then burps his disgusting Jaggi breath into the hunter’s face. Another ‘meh’ cutscene. 5/10

Summary: The ‘cabra is the first monster in MH4U that has the potential to make beginners wet themselves. He might be a frog, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be the first real challenge that hunters face in MH4U. He’s a monster that lives in a deep cave, has an awesome roar, and packs a variety of bone-crushing moves that will smash you into pieces if you let your guard down. Unfortunately, his equipment seems a bit lackluster, and his coloration is odd, but otherwise the ‘cabra is a great monster. Overall 7.5/10