There is a prototype video of Monster Hunter World from 2015, which shows that the Lagiacrus could have been part of the game. The monster and our author Leya have had a long and intense love-hate relationship.
Monster Hunter Tri was the first title in the series that I ever played. The world sucked me in. The Lagiacrus played an important role. It was that one beast that made me sweat and even gave me nightmares.
The Lagiacrus is referred to by sailors as the lord of the seas and is feared. In the water, this Wyvern stands at the top of the food chain, attacking humans and animals from the deepest darkness of the sea.
In Monster Hunter Tri, there were underwater fights, and I dreaded each dive because of the Lagiacrus. The controls have always been clunky and strange in Monster Hunter. Underwater, handling the weapons and movement was nearly impossible for me.
The seemingly impossible Lagiacrus showed me the Monster Hunter effect
The Lagiacrus appears at a time in Monster Hunter Tri when it is still impossible to defeat the beast. The equipment was too weak at this point to take it on. This means that every initial small delivery mission in the water could be disrupted by this beast. However, my swimming skills in Tri were so terrible that I struggled to catch small fish or even to swim correctly up or down.
When this gigantic water snake swam towards me with its electric attacks and chased me, I got palpitations. I knew I had to flee. With my pathetic swimming skills, I always ended up going the wrong way, getting stuck, and aimlessly bobbing in the water. How many times I died under the claws of the Lagiacrus…
I had no idea how I would ever overcome the sea monster and navigated the underwater quests as best as I could. Over time, I became stronger and improved my equipment further. This is where the Monster Hunter effect kicked in for me. Gradually, I ventured into the water more often and tried to learn the strange controls there as well.
And eventually, there came a point where I and my equipment were strong enough to defeat my nightmare monster. That was probably the most beautiful Monster Hunter kill I have ever experienced, and probably ever will. The euphoria I felt was indescribable and made the Lagiacrus “my monster” that I finally defeated.
The Lagiacrus could have taken the place of the Rathalos
At the Monster Hunter Championship 2018, Capcom showcased a gameplay video of Monster Hunter World from 2015. The video shows a hunter fighting the fiery Anjanath in the Ancient Forest.
The old gameplay video is structured similarly to what was also shown at E3 in 2017. In this video, a Rathalos appears at the end, suddenly starting a territorial battle with the Anjanath. However, in the gameplay version from 2015, a Lagiacrus literally emerges from the water and attacks the Anjanath.
Lagiacrus will probably not come to Monster Hunter World
Capcom has already confirmed that the Lagiacrus was ultimately removed from Monster Hunter World and will not be making an appearance. Since there are no underwater battles in World, the Lagiacrus would have felt somewhat out of place here. It is much easier to fight it on land. Only the underwater battles made it really frightening for me.
Nonetheless, it is impressive to see the material, and it made me nostalgic; the Lagiacrus appears starting at minute 4:20.
Would you have liked to see the Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter World despite the lack of underwater battles?
