The Siege and the Sandfox

About

The Siege and the Sandfox is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Cardboard Sword and was released on February 9, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The Siege and the Sandfox is a 2D stealth Metroidvania set in a desert city under siege, where you master parkour and cunning to explore palace and caverns. Evade guards, defeat enemies, and befriend allies while uncovering a hidden threat through fluid controls and dynamic pixel art. Stealth, exploration, and skill upgrades are key to foiling an evil plot.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

stability26 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating atmosphere, enhanced by excellent voice acting and dynamic narration.
The stealth mechanics are well-implemented, providing a unique twist to the Metroidvania genre, allowing for creative exploration and movement.
The platforming feels smooth and rewarding, with a variety of traversal options that make navigating the environment enjoyable.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including issues with enemy AI, unresponsive controls, and occasional soft locks that can hinder progress.
Backtracking can be tedious due to a lack of fast travel options and unclear quest markers, leading to frustrating navigation.
The checkpoint system can be punishing, as it often saves at inconvenient points, forcing players to replay sections after dying or encountering glitches.

gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The gameplay is a blend of engaging stealth mechanics and platforming, with a strong emphasis on exploration typical of the metroidvania genre. While many players appreciate the beautiful visuals and immersive atmosphere, they also note issues with clunky controls, inconsistent enemy behavior, and frequent bugs that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the game offers solid fun and a rewarding stealth experience, though some mechanics may feel underdeveloped.
- “I think the gameplay movement is a lot of fun and the visuals are gorgeous.”
- “The platforming perfectly complements the stealth mechanics, since they allow you to maneuver over or under guard patrols in a really slick manner.”
- “Any lover of the metroidvania genre will find the familiar features they love, but the stealth mechanics is where the game truly shines.”
- “I had some other issues with the game that weren't bugs, for instance the shittiest gliding mechanic I've ever seen - and some instances of enemy placement (although that gripe is not unusual for stealth games).”
- “Enemies regularly either get stuck or their pathing becomes confused in a way that breaks gameplay.”
- “What you do for most of the game is following a string of quests to unlock what felt like a barebones kit to traverse the map that any other metroidvania would give you in about one hour of gameplay, like sliding, hanging on bars and climbing walls.”
story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a compelling narrative and strong voice acting, though it suffers from inconsistencies in quest tracking and bugs that can disrupt progression. Players appreciate the unique storytelling style, enhanced by a narrator, and the beautiful art and world-building, despite some critiques regarding the originality of the plot and the lack of clear quest markers. Overall, while the story is engaging, technical issues can detract from the experience.
- “Beautiful game, incredible voice acting, the story is compelling and wonderfully written.”
- “The story and world-building are surprisingly well done.”
- “The art, story, and voice acting are all top notch and the platforming and stealth all feels really good to play.”
- “There comes a mission about 2/3 of the game where you have to gather evidence and some of it doesn't have any quest markers on the map.”
- “- The most game-breaking bug that made me stop playing this game: I gathered all 5 pieces of evidence and somehow the NPC didn't trigger the next quest (he kept asking for more evidence despite I already gave him all 5). I tried restarting the last checkpoint and revisiting the place where I got the evidence, but nothing happened. The game pretty much softlocked on me, and I gave up at this point.”
- “Additionally, there is no menu for your quests that explains what you're doing again or lets you reread dialogue or quest notes.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting a variety of bugs, including character and enemy glitches, movement issues, and AI inconsistencies. While some users experienced only minor glitches, many found the game to be "very buggy," leading to frustration and even making it unplayable for some. Despite these issues, a few players still appreciated the game's unique qualities, suggesting that it may improve with future patches.
- “Runs great, looks good, sounds good, controls well.”
- “The game still has many glitches and a possible softlock while there is no sight of the promised patch, even after well over a month.”
- “Unfortunately, at this time (5/25/2025), the game is unplayably buggy.”
- “Enemies have inconsistent and extremely buggy behavior, which makes navigating around them an exercise in frustration.”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
16%
12%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning pixel art and immersive visuals, creating a beautiful and atmospheric experience. Players appreciate the rich aesthetic, fluid animations, and distinct environments that enhance the gameplay, making it one of the most visually appealing titles in the genre. Overall, the combination of great art style, engaging sound design, and a well-defined map contributes to a memorable gaming experience.
- “The shifting background scenery gives you a feel of being in an actual geographic location, with the caves, caverns, deserts, and mountains in the distance.”
- “Aesthetically, it's one of the most beautiful, immersive, and atmospheric pixel-art games I've ever played.”
- “The good side is the map is huge and the visuals are stunning for a pixel art game.”
- “A very buggy but fun unique game with a strong art style, movement, and story.”
- “Beautiful artwork, easy to play (recommended controller) and interesting platformer (even though sometimes it isn't perfect).”
- “The various areas of Traitor's Fall feel fleshed out and distinct, all while keeping with the Arabian Nights aesthetic.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
15%
15%
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive quality, enhancing the eerie atmosphere and complementing the visuals effectively. While most players find the soundtrack lovely and fitting, some note that certain moments could benefit from a change in music to better match the gameplay. Overall, the combination of great sound design, engaging voice acting, and a captivating score significantly enriches the gaming experience.
- “The art and music are stunning and instantly pull you into the world.”
- “A fun platformer with lovely pixel art visuals and clean animation, great sound design and music, as well as well-voiced narration.”
- “When they get them, they seem excited to play something new, but the music stays the same.”
- “But the music and narration is where it's at for me.”
- “The sound design and music add so much to the experience.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
8%
21%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie immersion, stunning pixel art, and captivating ambient music, creating a memorable and moody experience. While some players find the gameplay mechanics lacking, the overall aesthetic and atmospheric narration contribute to a highly engaging environment. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful visuals and audio, making it a standout in terms of atmosphere, despite some minor issues.
- “The eerie atmosphere, immersive ambient music, spying through the keyhole and picking locks.”
- “Aesthetically, it's one of the most beautiful, immersive, and atmospheric pixel-art games I've ever played.”
- “There’s a lot going for this game that others have noted—great design, voice acting, cool atmosphere, etc—but it’s kind of just boring.”
- “That said, I really like the concept and atmosphere, and I’m holding out hope for a patch to improve movement or controls.”
- “The game's atmosphere is mesmerizing.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game largely stems from its glitches and broken mechanics, providing a shared experience of laughter among players, particularly when enjoyed with friends.
- “The majority of the entertainment value of this experience was my friends laughing along with me at how broken it was.”
- “The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me in stitches throughout the entire game.”
- “I couldn't stop chuckling at the hilarious character interactions and unexpected plot twists.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization is mixed, as it features performance sections that may challenge players, alongside forced passive stealth mechanics that could impact gameplay fluidity. Overall, players may experience varying levels of performance depending on their approach to these elements.
- “It's a puzzle platforming game with performance sections and forced passive stealth.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Performance drops during critical moments ruin the overall experience.”
- “The forced passive stealth sections are poorly optimized, leading to unnecessary frustration.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the need for backtracking and the limited opportunities for combat, which can make progress feel slow and frustrating. The combination of repetitive tasks and challenging platforming elements contributes to a sense of monotony.
- “First of all, backtracking in general in this game can be brutal and tedious at times.”
- “In a game where you rarely want to attack, much less alert guards, plus some puzzle-like platforming, it can get tedious fast.”

Skip Game Offers

Buy The Siege and the Sandfox

8h Median play time

7h Average play time

3-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like The Siege and the Sandfox

80%3.6kreviews

Hob

2017

Open World Action Adventure

76%2.2kreviews

Blue Fire

2021

Hack and Slash

74%237reviews

Rebel Transmute

2024

Platformer

70%505reviews

The Last Case of Benedict Fox

2023

Hack and Slash

82%1kreviews

Unbound:Worlds Apart

2021

Role Playing

More games like The Siege and the Sandfox

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Siege and the Sandfox is a platformer game with fantasy theme.

The Siege and the Sandfox is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Siege and the Sandfox.

The Siege and the Sandfox was released on February 9, 2023.

The Siege and the Sandfox was developed by Cardboard Sword.

The Siege and the Sandfox has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

The Siege and the Sandfox is a single player game.

Similar games include Hob, Blue Fire, Rebel Transmute, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Unbound:Worlds Apart and others.

The Siege and the Sandfox

Platforms

Buy The Siege and the Sandfox