Whenever I look at Sandshrew, its eyes are always the first to catch my attention. For me, the eyes of most rodents are a key part of their cutesy appearances, and Sandshrew’s are spot-on with matching that appeal.

It’s easy to assume Sandshrew is merely a cartoony armadillo. After all, it can curl up into a ball and loves to dig just like the real-world counterpart. However, Sandshrew is likely not restricted to just that. It and Sandslash may also take cues from pangolins and shrews.

Personally, I feel Sandshrew’s overall body shape could be part treeshrew (which, on a side note, is not an actual shrew):

The house brick-like texture on Sandshrew’s body is an interesting stylization to the tough hide on an armadillo. However, I find that all those additional lines can clutter the design if not handled properly. Consider the examples below:

When the lines are thin, they compliment Sandshrew’s design. Having shading accompany each “plate” of armor also adds extra pop to its appearance. Even simply changing the color of the lines helps.

Conversely, this is Sandshrew with thick, black lines and minimal shading:

Suddenly, it looks like all those extra lines were thrown in to make Sandshrew appear more “detailed” than it actually is. It’s like the tons of bandages wrapped around the Sonic Boom cast. It ends up making the whole thing look messy.

On a final note, I love that Sandshrew has no visible mouth. I assume that it actually has one, but it’s too miniscule to be “seen.” Instead, its entire snout tapers to a point and suggests a mouth and nose without them being explicitly drawn on. It’s a nice touch.

Overall, Sandshrew’s a cute and fun armadillo-pangolin-shrew-thing.

The pangolin comparisons are much easier to draw on Sandslash! Ditching the brick texture, Sandslash becomes nothing but sharp claws and pointy spikes!

It can be easy for an artist to go overboard adding spikes to their character. Luckily, the spines on Sandslash are placed just right so that they don’t fight each other for space. It’s a nice touch that Sandslash’s ears mimic and blend in with the rest of its spikes. And then there’s the tiny spine on its forehead that acts as a transition to the ones on its back.

Remember in previous reviews when I was complaining about all those samey brown-colored Pokémon? I feel Sandslash does a much better job in regards to that. Its body has a better distribution of yellowish tans and dark browns instead of being one solid color throughout. I especially love how its spikes contrast against the rest of its body.

It’s also great to see that Sandslash retains the same eye shape as before. They fit just as perfectly here. Can you imagine if Sandslash had those triangular Anime eyes instead?

Actually, here’s a quick edit I did in Photoshop to show what I mean:

I feel that this Sandslash is a lot more generic in comparison. Its actual eyes have a surprisingly large impact on its design.

For me, Sandslash is another one of those flawless designs, and I love every part of it.

I about died of cuteness overload when I first learned of Alolan Sandshrew. Now that it’s Ice-Steel type and lives in snowy mountain regions, its scales are rearranged so it looks like an igloo! Look at that face; it’s just too cute!

Kudos to Game Freak for finding a fresh spin for Alolan Sandshrew while still keeping its brick-like scales. They fit perfectly as snow bricks.

I absolutely love the icy blues they chose for Sandshrew’s body. In my eyes, it’s a color palette that just feels satisfying to look at.

Ice-type Pokémon are often treated as strong but frail “glass cannons” in the games, since ice is so brittle in the real world. Alolan Sandshrew, however, is designed to have a reinforced shell. Therefore, it’s also part Steel, the “best” defensive typing in the Pokémon word. Despite how Fighting types walk over poor Alolan Sandshrew, Ice-Steel is an interesting combination that suits its concept well.

Sun and Moon gave Sandshrew a great alternate form. It’s an interesting polar opposite to its Ground-type counterpart.

Plus, Alolan residents apparently scoot these little guys around like curling stones! That’s so silly and adorable to imagine!

Naturally, the news of Alolan Sandshrew made me excited for the reveal of a revamped Sandslash. I can gleefully say that Alolan Sandslash doesn’t disappoint.

The icy blues look just as magnificent on this Sandslash, especially with the ice crystals. Speaking of which, I love that its back spikes evolved as such!

There’s only one critique I have with them, and it’s that I don’t care for the single, giant icicle on Sandslash’s head. Personally, I prefer the way they’re laid out on its regular form. It’s a small nitpick, though, and it doesn’t detract my overall interest with the rest of its back spikes.

It’s a small detail, but I find that Alolan Sandslash’s claws curling at the tips give them a lot of visual pop. Having its claws curved keeps the design from becoming stale from too many perfectly level edges.

When I rank a Pokémon as an all-time favorite, it’s difficult for an Alolan form to top or even match those standards. I’m too attached to regular Sandslash to grace the Alolan variant with my highest praise, but it’s still a fantastic alternate design.