Palangolin

Last updated: 2026-03-30

THIS IS IT. THIS IS MY BIG FAVOURITE.

Sometimes, you just see a character design and a thus-far unrealised internal switch flips and permanently alters your brain chemistry. For Cassette Beasts, that little guy happens to be Palangolin, one of the evolutions of the common mobs found in the early areas.

I call it the "Flamedramon" effect; I see a slim, androgynous creature-person wearing thematic armour and my pupils turn into hearts. Everyone knows that armour is inherently sexy, but you can elevate it by attaching it to someone who is at least 80% more spiky than your average human being.

Flamedramon is an athletic, blue, humanoid dragon wearing bright red armour that is embellished with yellow flame decals. The armour covers its head, chest, forearms, thighs, and feet.
You can see why Flamedramon and Palangolin scratch the same itch for me, can't you? I shan't speculate about inspiration, because like as not it is simply a case of convergent design, but there's definitely a resemblance.

In this drawing, I took some creative liberties with Palangolin's design. In its official art (below), it is not exactly clear what Palangolin is wearing on its chest. It is the same colour as the arm and leg guards, and Palangolin is a Metal-type beast, so I chose to interpret it as a chainmail tunic.

However, I love a good chestplate, so I threw that on over the top to add a bit of shaping. I also separated out the shin guards from the feet to allow more mobility at the ankle. There are some indications of straps holding the arm guards on in the pixel art, but I lifted the leather straps directly from Flamedramon for a bit of a visual reference to my favourite Digimon.

I also think it is a crying shame that the official art lacks any detail on Palangolin's tail. The scales that cover a pangolin's back are its most distinctive feature, so I had to bring that patterning into my version's tail.

In the official art for Palangolin, the chest armour is form-fitting and the tail lacks detail.
I am at least thankful that Palangolin features in the official promotional art, else I would only have the sprites to go off of!