The Siege and the Sandfox review: A delightful metroidvania concept plagued with problems

I can’t think of many metroidvanias that place combat to the side and focus simply on exploration and stealth. Usually, the genre is a place for collecting both traversal and fighting mechanics that will open up progress elsewhere on a sprawling map, but in The Siege and the Sandfox, you play as the Sandfox, a kind of thief or assassin who has to rely on shadows, avoiding being seen and getting caught in combat.

It’s an interesting premise that requires the player to tackle challenges more often seen in 3D adventures filled with gadgets and technology that can aid the mission. Of course, the Sandfox does have gadgets, but they only aid in moving around the world, by sliding through grates, scampering up walls, or shimmying along poles across the ceiling. You can knock out enemies if you’re stealthy enough, but nobody who crosses your path ever dies, and upon returning to earlier areas, which you will do a lot, they will simply appear awake and ready to patrol again.

Starting out, I wasn’t expecting much from The Siege and the Sandfox, beyond some gorgeous pixel art and an interesting concept, however, the lore and the world, so clearly based on Middle Eastern culture and history, is enticing. The idea of having a constant narrator talking the player through lore, but also giving a run-down of each area is also a welcome addition, and I found myself wishing that more games had this.

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For example, moving into a safe zone filled with NPCs will have the narrator say something like, “The Sandfox knew it was safe here”, which allows you to relax your guard; entering into brand-new zones will often spark some notes about the architecture or the history of the region, rounding out the character of this world.

As you’d hope for from a 2D metroidvania, the traversal is often delightful, with the Sandfox moving along at a brisk pace, bouncing from wall to wall, leaping through the air with grace. This comes with issues, though, and these issues plague the entire game. It feels like The Siege and the Sandfox didn’t see enough time with the QA department, or playtesters, because it is riddled with bugs and glitches that either pull the player from an immersive moment, or simply break the game.

There were far too many moments where NPC guards would freeze in place, not seeing the Sandfox even two feet in front of them. At times, my objective marker on the map screen was nowhere to be seen, despite being there a few minutes ago. Sometimes, the Sandfox would get stuck on bits of the scenery, like ladders, and take a few seconds to be shaken loose. For the last couple of hours of my playthrough, the sound became horribly crackly and no number of restarts seemed to fix it.

Before writing this review, I did notice that a patch recently arrived, but having played more just last night, it didn’t seem to fix many glaring issues - and, to be honest, there are other problems that come from the gameplay rather than bugs. Like from the fast travel system, which is very selective, often making you trawl through areas not needed for progression. The binding of controls that make you crouch and/or drop through platforms feels too twitchy, often resulting in incorrect movements, which aren’t helpful when being chased.

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Checkpoints are thankfully placed close together, however, any progression made is wiped out on capture or death, meaning that although you’re close by, you can’t get back to the action. You have to have NPC conversations or pick up a collectible again. And the once lovely narrator drones on with the same speech every single time you fail, causing me to want to turn off the volume.

I desperately want to be able to recommend this game to fans of the genre, and when it worked properly, it felt wonderful to play. Even now, I kind of miss the world within this game because it evokes a great sense of place and time through genuinely lush pixel visuals. In the state that it’s currently in, I can’t do this. There were too many moments when I walked away from the game in frustration, not because of my skill level, but because the controls of the Sandfox weren’t responsive enough, or traipsing back through old areas created tedium.

Pros: Stunning pixel graphics, great build up of lore and history, intriguing concept

Cons: Filled with bugs and glitches, backtracking is tedious, controls are often frustrating

For fans of: Prince of Persia, Axiom Verge, Super Metroid

4/10: Below Average

The Siege and the Sandfox is available now on PC. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.