Hurtle family
The Hurtle family (JP: アーケロン類) is a group of water-based turtle monsters, based on the Hammer Bros. from Nintendo's Super Mario franchise.
Hurtles are aquatic monsters born from Water Lily Buds. Hurtles feed on Aquachnids and are preyed on primarily by Dragons. They throw hammers at heroes to slow them down, but retreat into their shells when they get close. If they perish, they leave their Hurtle Shells behind, which can be used by high-IQ Liliths to attack with, or broken with a Pickaxe to distribute Nutrients. Like other water monsters, they cannot mutate. If one reproduces with exactly 300 HP, a Hardcore Hurtle will be born; given the HP constraints, this is only possible with Heavyweight Hurtles and above.
When Hurtles retreat into their shells, their Defence and Magic Resistance increases dramatically, often nearly doubling. For example, the standard Hurtle's Defence goes from 11 to 25. The Hip-Hop Hurtle, the strongest available, will go from 50 to 98, among the highest defensive stats available in the franchise.
With High IQ, Hurtles will rally each other to attack heroes if they approach, which results in far quicker kills. However, if gathered in too closed a space, the Hurtles may inadvertently trigger their defensive manoeuvre and retreat into their shells, resulting in what's effectively a suicide if no Aquachnids or Loreleis are available to supplement the attack.
Hurtle Shells
Hurtle Shells are items introduced in No Heroes Allowed!. They are left behind in the event of starvation or being culled by the God of Destruction's Pickaxe, but being killed by heroes will result in a different animation that doesn't spawn one. Despite the appearance, they have multiple functions that can be very useful in various dungeons. Hurtle Shells that occur reflect the species of Hurtle that perished; for example, a Heavyweight Hurtle will leave a Heavyweight Shell upon death.
Hurtle Shells, if left in water, will gradually flow upwards until they reach land. This will happen at the first possible opportunity; thus, the area in which a shell spawns is manipulable. For example, breaking a block above the water in the shell's current path will become the first area it drifts to. Once a Hurtle Shell has found its position, it will stay there in most circumstances; if water strikes the shell or a Lilith uses Shell Shock, the shell can still be moved.
If dying of starvation, half of the nutrients the Hurtle consumed will be left behind in a Hurtle Shell. For example, a Hurtle with 90 nutrients will leave behind 45, which can then be released when the shell is cracked open by the God of Destruction's Pickaxe. This can be useful if aiming to repopulate a water section, or with clever placement, help spark off a Slimemoss colony.
With Mid-High Dungeon IQ, members of the Lilith family can use magic to bring up to 3 Hurtle Shells along with them, and use them as projectiles against heroes. These will be prioritised prior to using their default magic attacks, so against a defensive hero, it can be a hinderance. The damage dealt correlates with the level of the Hurtle that inhabited the shell, and it is treated as physical damage, meaning Golems and Blobs can boost the damage further. For example, a Pure Shell will be treated as having 77 Attack[1], but a Hardcore Shell will be treated as having 130. Thus, poorly-upgraded Liliths can make use of higher attack values if Hurtles are upgraded and IQ is maintained. Shifty Shadows can use Shell Shock. Shells can still be cracked during Shell Shock, meaning a calculated crack can be used to help boost nutrients in impoverished areas of the dungeon.
| Hurtle Shell | Attack Value |
|---|---|
| Hurtle Shell | 88 |
| Heavyweight Shell | 99 |
| Souper Shell | 110 |
| Hip-Hop Shell | 120 |
| Hardcore Shell | 130 |
| Pure Shell | 77 |
Hurtles are Level 3 red monsters in the puzzle games; when linked on the puzzle table, they become level 4 azure tiles, such as the Mara. They have Attack equivalent to Giant Breed Lizardmen, and no special abilities. However, this also means they are outclassed by the Charming Chest, which has the highest Attack of all Level 3 red monsters.
Unlike in No Heroes Allowed!, Hip-Hop Hurtles can evolve into Hardcore Hurtles. The latter were also redefined as the definitive strongest breed, previously only having the best shell for Shell Shock available.
List of Hurtle family members
| Lv. | Hurtle | Species |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurtle | Basic |
| 2 | Heavyweight Hurtle | Basic |
| 3 | Souper Hurtle | Basic |
| 4 | Hip-Hop Hurtle | Basic |
| Fossil / 300 HP | Hardcore Hurtle | Basic |
| Pure Breed | Pure Hurtle | Pure |
Gallery
A Hurtle as seen on the "Turtle Hurtle" trophy.
Etymology
Hurtle is a portmanteau of "hurt" and "turtle".
The Japanese name for Hurtles, アーケロン Ākeron, translates to "Archelon", an extinct genus of turtle from the Cretaceous period. It contains a single member, Archelon ischyros.
In other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | アーケロン類 Ākeron-rui |
Archelon family, where Archelon refers to the extinct genus of turtles from the Cretaceous period. |
| Mandarin Chinese (Traditional Script) |
古巨龜類 Gǔjùguī lèi |
Archelon family. The deconstructed name literally translates to "Ancient Giant Turtle". |
| Korean | 아케롱류 akelonglyu |
Archelon family. |
Trivia
- When Hurtles are killed by heroes, their shells explode, revealing a Lizardman-like body inside.
- Hurtles are the only aquatic monsters to lack a PlayStation 3 avatar.
References
| Land monsters |
|---|
| Moss family - Insect family - Lizardman family - Spirit family - Lilith family - Dragon family |
| Aquatic monsters |
| Aquachnid family - Hurtle family - Thunderhead family - Lorelei family - Whale family |
| Runeborn monsters |
| Demon family - Golem family - Lady family - Gargoyle family - Mara family - Homunculus family |
| Other monsters |
| Mimic family - Skeleman family - Mandrake family - Humanoid family |
| Hurtle family | |
|---|---|
| Introduced in No Heroes Allowed! | |
| Basic Breeds | Hurtle - Heavyweight Hurtle - Souper Hurtle - Hip-Hop Hurtle Hardcore Hurtle |
| Pure Breeds | Pure Hurtle |
| Introduced in Yūsha no Kuse ni Konamaiki da DASH! | |
| Basic Breeds | Crown of Thorns - Hitodanger - Starstarfish - Starfish - Starfish Deluxe |
| Giant Breeds | Little Higoi - Big Magoi - Sibling Nogoi - Nobori Goi |
| Rare Breeds | Land Hurtle - Freshman Hurtle - Upperclass Hurtle |