The Paolumu is probably the fluffiest creature wandering in Monster Hunter World – and you can even craft armor from the fluff! Capcom spoke about how the furry bat balloon was created and what hunters need to pay attention to in combat against it.
In Monster Hunter World, you dive into a fantastic universe filled with the strangest creatures.
Many of them resemble prehistoric creatures with long claws, scales, and fangs. There are also giant chameleons that spray various poisons based on their diet.
And then there’s this weird bat fluff: The Paolumu.
The Paolumu is a weaker monster – but has exciting tricks up its sleeve
In an interview with Gameinformer the developers at Capcom revealed how the Paolumu was created. The studio wanted to create a monster for the Coral Highlands that belongs to the medium food chain.
The Paolumu is not the strongest monster. The bat fluff, however, has tricky tricks that a knowledgeable monster hunter should be aware of.
The mechanics of the bat hybrid are laid out like the Coral Highlands on slopes. Warm winds glide upwards on the map, on which the Paolumu rides with its inflatable collar and wings.
Director Kaname Fujioka, about the design of the Paolumu: “We thought that the aspect of inflating was really exciting, as we have never had monsters with body parts that could inflate. We were inspired by animals like squirrels and their cheek pouches.
We thought this furry concept would be interesting for a monster. After seeing and working out all the various designs, we decided to follow the concept of the furry, inflatable cheek pouch.”
Who would have thought that such a little guy would become the template for a bat fluff in an action RPG:
The Paolumu attacks with its beaver tail and air bursts
Most creatures in Monster Hunter World are a colorful mix of animals from our world – this also applies to the Paolumu. In addition to the traits of a squirrel, further animals can be recognized. The head of the Paolumu resembles a bat and the tail is like that of a beaver, while the legs could belong to an ostrich.
The inflatable pouch on the neck gives the animal its fluffy and goofy appearance.
This is how the Paolumu uses all its characteristics for combat:
- The Paolumu uses its air-filled pouch to move easily in the warm updrafts. This gives it the ability to easily dodge the hunters’ attacks.
- The pouch can also be used for defense like a shield
- The Paolumu can shoot air with force out of the pouch and blow opponents away with air bursts.
- The beaver tail can be used for two types of attacks:
- The tail is rolled up and used for a precise strike – Like a fist strike
- The Paolumu attacks with the entire surface of its tail – Like a slap
Hunters could have looked like mascots from a Palico amusement park!
When the creatures in Monster Hunter World are done designed, the design of the armor follows. Hunters craft new weapons and equipment from the body parts of the monsters.
Director Kaname Fujioka, about the design of the armors: “When we have completed the complete design of a monster, the next step is the design of the armor that hunters can craft from the monsters.
The most obvious part to start with seemed to us the fur, as you would be able to cut the fur from this creature. At first, we thought about the guards at Buckingham Palace with their fur hats. That was almost too cool, and then we realized that we could create pretty cool armors from the Paolumu.
The Paolumu generally has a funny silhouette, so we wanted to incorporate the funny aspect into the armor design as well.”
The developer admitted that they had exaggerated a bit with the first concept of the Paolumu armor. The first variant looked like they had stuffed the hunters into a costume for a Palico amusement park.
Ultimately, the developers decided on armor that focuses on the white fur and fluffiness of the Paolumu – without making the armor look ridiculous.
It is so … FLUFFY! – I love the Paolumu
Leya says: The Paolumu catapulted into my heart at first sight. When I first saw the fluffy bat in a trailer, I could hardly wait to face it.
I particularly like that the Paolumu has an extremely creative design, looks unusual, and seems somewhat real. If there were an environment like the Coral Highlands in our world, I could easily imagine that such a creature could exist – with inflatable cheeks for floating.
The entire design of the creature harmonizes with the nature in which it grew up, and its attacks and lifestyle seem logical. The Paolumu would be the first creature I would show someone to explain the intelligence of the design of Monster Hunter World.
Furthermore, the Paolumu is just really damn cute, and I would love to see the exaggerated armor that resembles a Palico amusement park.
The Paolumu and the Coral Highlands made their first appearance in this trailer:
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