User blog comment:Democide/Endemic Life Contest No. 1 Vote/@comment-38822518-20190817091633

Elusive Ratings

Snowglider

Reminds me of the design of cliffracers from Morrowind. I like the aesthetical atmosphere they add and the icon looks incredible. I would wish that they had more ecological info on how their behaviors are affected by their lack of legs - or maybe some sort of ancestral lore of how they developed without them. I would probs capture so many of these and fill my house with them if they were in a game. The other two individuals are outstanding with the Snow Phantom's colour scheme and their volcanic equivalent. - 5/5

Lasher Beetle

Arguably the most canon-style of the entries. Its very easy to visual this one in a game. Their appearances while strange give a very distinct persona to the creature. The dropping of armour spheres is incredible alongside their adaption to unleash that specialised sound. The Arsenic Beetle is even better with it resembling a horseshoe crab and utilising spikes as a defense mechanism: the lethality of it definitely sets it apart from other forms of endemic life. The description for the Stardust Beetle is hilarious and helps illustrate on its abilities. All I can critique is that atleast Arsenic should have gotten a separate artwork. Their existence would add an extra way to farm for Armour Spheres which I like, lol. - 5/5

Uncedeki

From a design standpoint, I personally don't think they're very interesting but I like the adaptive traits it has to survive its habitat. I love that they consume the very thing that cures Undrea. The extensiveness of their ecology makes them remarkable although I do think that there should be an explanation for why some members of the species don't migrate to a safer locale. The Gleaming Uncedeki is far more interesting in comparison, the carapaces make them resemble stone and I like the change of colour glow based on the time of day. The Smoky Uncedeki is a good result of what comes from adapting to such a harsh environment. - 3.5/5

Chiselhead

Brute Wyvern-like endemic life, its glorious. Their method of catching Neopterons is incredible along with their adaption in the mud, like little Barroths. If they were in the game, I would definitely prefer to catch the Dark Chiselheads however, their nocturnal behaviours are very nice along with their altered colour scheme to go with it. The inclusion of melanism is another pointer. The Ice Sculpterer I personally think downslide in terms of design compared to the other two but their distinct behaviour of building ice sculpters is amazing. I do personally think that the Rewards for capture should be a bit higher but besides that, solid subspecies and makes sense to be ice-based due to Jade Barroth. - 4.5/5

''Coldshriek

I love bats so this is a good one for me, their designs are simple but solid although could do with a little bit more physical features thrown in besides colouration. Could do with more ecological information and I personally think they're a bit limited in terms of habitat, I can definitely see them living in the caves of the Tundra and Hoarfrost Reach. The Frostshriek is a step in the right direction: the aesthetic of it resembling ice is glamorous and the extent of their shrieks able to make icicles fall down is pretty nice although I don't see any information on how this would affect the hunter differently from a standard Coldshriek, maybe potentially damaging the hunter could help make it stand out. Hotshriek I personally think could have been a bit more interesting than just a fire version of an ice creature but their alterations are pretty nice - the change from a more fruit bat aesthetic with their snouts is subtle but nice and I like that they can actually pose a threat to the hunter - more endemic life that can affect the hunter in some way I think is pretty cool. - 4/5

Buzzpede

Holy moly these are glamorous! Aerial centipedes - yes please! I love that they appear in the Old Jungle, I can envision them there perfectly, helping the atmosphere of the locale. Their adaption with using sound to drive off predators could be a bit more developed but makes sense due to the residue of Yian Kut Ku populations that live in the Old Jungle and the 2nd gen Jungle, subtle but clever. I like that they can also potentially affect the hunter in some way. The Bronze Buzzpede I do think could have been a little bit more interesting but I like the challenge that could come with catching them due to their defensive nature. Hidepedes have an interesting colour scheme considering that they're desert-dwellers. Their altered behaviours between day and night is outstanding, they could have simply been made night-only but you've instead had their in-game behaviours altered between night and day and catchable for both. I would personally say that its rewards for capture should be a bit higher but that's about it for criticism. - 5/5

Spiraltail

I personally think it could do with more general information but besides that, I love the idea and the fact that they're adapted to sing which would be hilarious and adorable to witness in-game. I'd love to capture like, 50 of these and place them all over my room, even go the extra mile of a singing type mini-game for them, too much? yeah probably, lol. The Golden Spiraltail having a distinct song and being much harder to catch is pretty nice. The Plumetail is a nice subversion with its song not being as pleasant, although I love their colour scheme change although I do think it needs more ecological information. - 4/5