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The Siege and the Sandfox

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The Siege and the Sandfox Game Cover
67%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
66% User Score Based on 141 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

PCSteam DeckWindows
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The Siege and the Sandfox Game Cover

About The Siege and the Sandfox

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 both critics and players.

A 2D stealth Metroidvania with parkour platforming. Explore the majestic palace and ancient prisons of a kingdom under siege. Don the mantle of the legendary Sandfox as you venture into the ruins below, and discover the true threat from a sand-borne evil.

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The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
The Siege and the Sandfox screenshot
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Reviews

66%Audience ScoreBased on 141 reviews
story10 positive mentions
stability33 negative mentions
  • Beautiful pixel art visuals combined with detailed lighting effects create an immersive and atmospheric world.
  • Unique blend of stealth and Metroidvania platforming with fluid, weighty parkour mechanics that reward patience and timing.
  • Engaging narrator and audio design add charm and depth, enhancing the storytelling and overall ambiance.
  • Game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including enemy AI issues, quest softlocks, and unreliable controls, which seriously hamper progression and enjoyment.
  • Lack of a proper fast travel system and map key causes tedious and frustrating backtracking through large areas often blocked by ability gates without clear guidance.
  • Controls can feel stiff or unresponsive at times, especially in platforming segments, making some sections unfairly difficult and detracting from player experience.

  • story

    61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    16% positive mentions, 79% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The story is generally praised for its compelling narration, strong voice acting, and atmospheric world-building, with a quiet tension conveyed through environmental storytelling rather than heavy dialogue. However, recurring bugs, missing or inconsistent quest markers, lack of in-game tracking or quest logs, and occasional quest softlocks significantly disrupt the narrative flow and player immersion. Despite its interesting premise and storytelling style, technical issues and poor quest design often frustrate players and hinder their engagement with the story.

    • “The story is told by a narrator who does a wonderful job and really is the highlight of the game; her performance is stellar and I looked forward to whenever she talked.”
    • “Rather than relying on bombastic spectacle, the game leans into quiet tension and methodical exploration, allowing its world to gradually unfold through environmental storytelling and carefully placed narrative beats.”
    • “While the story does not overwhelm the player with dialogue, it provides enough context to make the sandfox’s journey feel purposeful and personal.”
    • “The main quest where you need to locate evidence doesn't properly mark any of the quests, forcing me to find a community post where the developer explained it was a bug, yet it hasn't been fixed.”
    • “The most game-breaking bug that made me stop playing: I gathered all 5 pieces of evidence but the NPC didn't trigger the next quest (he kept asking for more evidence despite already giving him all 5). I tried restarting the last checkpoint and revisiting the place where I got the evidence, but nothing happened. The game essentially softlocked on me, so I gave up.”
    • “The map is atrocious; there's no in-game tracker to know which quests you've completed and which still remain.”

  • gameplay

    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The gameplay combines fluid, technical platforming with well-executed stealth mechanics, creating an engaging metroidvania experience that emphasizes traversal and avoidance over combat. While praised for its smooth movement, clever stealth, and atmospheric design, frequent bugs and some control inconsistencies, especially in parkour elements, hinder the overall experience. Despite these issues, the gameplay’s deliberate pacing, rewarding stealth, and unlocking of traversal gadgets receive strong positive remarks.

    • “The gameplay mechanics are fun, and every new gadget you unlock makes traversal faster, smoother, and more enjoyable.”
    • “The platforming perfectly complements the stealth mechanics, allowing you to maneuver over or under guard patrols in a really slick manner.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, both the movement and the stealth components are very solid.”
    • “Honestly, between the distracting narration, poor exploration, limited mechanics, and inane sidequests, this game needed more time in the oven.”
    • “Sadly, bugs started to appear during gameplay, eventually preventing me from progressing any further.”
    • “Mechanics (climbing, sneaking, taking out guards) are a bit clunky, the down slide was too fast, and overall really frustrating.”

  • stability

    35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    6% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 94% negative mentions

    The game is widely reported to have numerous bugs affecting AI behavior, animations, collision, and occasional softlocks, which often disrupt gameplay and require frequent checkpoint reloads. While many glitches are minor and patches have improved stability somewhat, significant issues persist, particularly with enemy AI and movement mechanics. Despite these flaws, players still find enjoyment but caution that the game feels unfinished and unstable.

    • “Runs great, looks good, sounds good, controls good.”
    • “Most issues involve animation, visual glitches, and AI scripting problems like looping or invisible characters. In one case, an elevator platform refused to come down, with the call buttons remaining depressed, preventing game progress.”
    • “The game still has many glitches and even a possible softlock, with no sign of the promised patch after over a month.”
    • “Enemies have inconsistent and extremely buggy behavior, making navigation frustrating.”

  • graphics

    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    70% positive mentions, 21% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning, richly detailed pixel art that combines retro aesthetics with modern lighting, creating an immersive and atmospheric Middle Eastern-inspired world. The fluid animation, vibrant backgrounds, and distinct art style enhance the gameplay experience, making it visually captivating and unique within the metroidvania genre. Overall, the visuals are considered beautiful, polished, and a key highlight of the game.

    • “The game's pixel art is painstakingly animated frame by frame, and the use of modern lighting techniques gives it a distinct identity that bridges retro aesthetics with contemporary production values.”
    • “Aesthetically, it's one of the most beautiful, immersive, and atmospheric pixel-art games I've ever played.”
    • “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.”
    • “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).”
    • “Huh, something like extra HP, MP, artwork?”

  • music

    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    64% positive mentions, 24% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions

    The music is consistently praised for its immersive, atmospheric quality that perfectly complements the game's stealthy, retro-inspired aesthetic and narrative. It features a sublime soundtrack with dynamic cues and ambient sounds that enhance tension and exploration, although some note occasional repetitive tracks and minor missed opportunities for variation. Overall, the soundtrack and sound design significantly elevate the player's engagement and immersion.

    • “It's a good metroidvania based around stealth, with superb music and sound design.”
    • “The retro graphics and sublime soundtrack draw you in while the acrobatic approach to gameplay makes one think of the older Prince of Persia games.”
    • “The sound design and music add so much to the experience.”
    • “When they get the music sheets, they seem excited to play something new, but the music stays the same.”
    • “The music, narration, and graphics are really nice; they don't distract from the game (besides unclear pronoun reference by the narration at times).”
    • “There are collectable music sheets that you have to bring to specific musicians.”

  • atmosphere

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 16% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions

    The game excels in creating a captivating and immersive atmosphere through its somber tone, rich pixel art, ambient music, and subtle, restrained storytelling. Its distinctive art style and atmospheric narration combine to deliver a moody, memorable experience that prioritizes immersion and stealth over flashy combat. While some find the gameplay less standout, the game's atmospheric design and voice acting receive consistently high praise.

    • “The concept, the setting, the art style, and the atmosphere are all fantastic and immediately drew me in.”
    • “The narrative unfolds in a restrained and atmospheric manner, relying heavily on voiceover, environmental cues, and subtle worldbuilding rather than lengthy exposition.”
    • “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.”
    • “From the outset, the tone is somber and deliberate, with a focus on atmosphere, political intrigue, and the creeping threat of an ancient evil spreading through the sands.”

  • grinding

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is characterized by tedious backtracking and aimless wandering, often without clear guidance on objectives. The combination of cautious stealth gameplay and puzzle-like platforming makes repeated traversal feel frustrating and monotonous.

    • “The last hours I've done nothing but wandering around the map and tediously backtracking in all directions with no indication on where to go or what to do next.”
    • “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.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features solid optimization, running smoothly during puzzle platforming and performance sections, though some repetitive dialogue may slightly affect immersion. Overall, it performs well without major technical issues.

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development is subtle, which may disappoint players seeking deeper exploration, but effectively emphasizes the protagonist's isolation and quiet determination.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game mainly stems from its broken and glitchy moments, which players find amusing and enjoy sharing laughs over with friends.

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Critic Reviews

70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Play Times

5h Median play time
6h Average play time
3-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Siege and the Sandfox is a platformer game with fantasy theme. Common tags for The Siege and the Sandfox include indie, 2d, exploration, choices matter, pixel graphics and others.

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

On average players spend around 6 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 both players and critics. Most players liked The Siege and the Sandfox for its story but disliked it for its stability.

The Siege and the Sandfox is a single player game.

Similar games include Rebel Transmute, Hob, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, MindSeize, Possessor(s) and others.