Last Updated on May 19, 2025 @ 16:02:37 PM.
I recently got the opportunity to try out the upcoming title, The Siege and the Sandfox, a 2D stealth Metroidvania game that has been developed by the studio Cardboard Sword and published by PLAION.
Throughout my time with the title, I encountered plenty of fun and exciting moments that had me begging for more, whether it be the story, the stealth aspects, or simply maneuvering through the levels with the game’s brilliant parkour. There was plenty to enjoy, but some unfortunate mishaps soured the experience.
The Siege and the Sandfox Brings A Whole New Level of 2D Games to the Industry
Straight from the start The Siege and the Sandfox had me gripped, whether it be the story that kicks off strong, the fantastic parkour that is exciting to use as well as tirelessly fun to play with, or the stealth that slowly gets better as the game goes on, there was always something making me want to progress further and play more.
For me personally, the best part about The Siege and the Sandfox was its gameplay, as the story was interesting in the beginning, but sadly left my focus rather quickly as I flipped and crawled my way through the wonderful world and settings that The Siege and the Sandfox is set in.
What made The Siege and the Sandfox a real challenge for me in a good way was how it was very challenging and focused entirely on stealth rather than fighting your way through every scenario. Due to nearly every action creating noise, whether it be running, jumping, falling, or even knocking out enemies, each action I attempted to do led to potential consequences that could end in a defeat, kicking me back to the last checkpoint.
Since The Siege and the Sandfox limits the player to a single hit KO, it is very dangerous to rush into situations blindly and attempt to take out each enemy, as a simple error could lead to your demise, but that is what makes this title unique and fun, as it tasks the player with taking their time and exploring alternate routes if there are some to avoid certain death.
Because of this, I had to rely on my stealth skills, which games like Assassin’s Creed had taught me over the years, to attempt to avoid detection from the enemies, even without taking them out. Thankfully, The Siege and the Sandfox are full of alternate routes and opportunities for the player to take in order to escape a rough situation.
The Siege and the Sandfox Does Have its Moments in the Dark As Well as the Sun
Although my time with The Siege and the Sandfox was an enjoyable one as I hid and ran my way through the beautiful scenery, there were moments in which I found myself displeased and, in some cases, infuriated by how the title acted in response to some of my actions.
As stated above, I personally found that after the intro to The Siege and the Sandfox is over, there is very little story to be found within the game itself. There is really only a few NPCs to meet as well as lore items that can be found throughout the game that can provide details as to what is happening, but even those items can be very well hidden.
Even though some of the NPCs were very interesting in terms of their designs, they didn’t exactly fill the world or provide any story, but were used to begin fetch quests that could open up pathways to the rest of the game or, in some cases, just be side quests that needed completing. The only saving grace to this was the narrator within The Siege and the Sandfox that assisted in filling in the blanks of the story as the game progressed, but even then, it was still rather empty in some cases.
As much as I loved the gameplay within The Siege and the Sandfox, it wasn’t exactly perfect, as there were quite a few flaws that I managed to come across during my time with the game. Some of the most prevalent issues I found were how actions that shouldn’t make noise were making noises on rare occasions, or how on occasion after knocking out an enemy, a second enemy floors above would somehow notice them, make their way down to help them, with both enemies then freezing in said location.
On the occasions that these situations did arise, it did cause me to get infuriated, as simple stealth situations would become increasingly harder as certain paths would be blocked off, forcing me into a situation in which I had to either reload my save or die to the enemy blocking the only exit. Luckily, during my playthrough, these situations were rather rare and are likely present because I have been given access to an early build of the game, but only time will tell.
My Overall Opinion on The Siege and the Sandfox
Overall, I found that The Siege and the Sandfox was an enjoyable experience that was relatively fun for the most part, with its gameplay loop being quite relaxing when it wanted to work, while also tasking me with slowing myself down and taking the time to look and think before I act.
What makes The Siege and the Sandfox stand out is definitely the world in which it is set. With beautifully hand-drawn locations from the beautiful city above to the dark depths below, there are plenty of beautiful sites to see. Sadly, the story itself was a letdown for me, as there was no real progress during the game, bar a few voice lines from a narrator and the occasional NPC that tasked you with some relatively mundane tasks.
The Siege and the Sandfox
Summary
Overall, I found my experience with The Siege and the Sandfox to be an enjoyable one, with the parkour and stealth being very fun, especially as the game progressed. Unfortunately, there were a few glitches that will hopefully be fixed in the future.
HOURS PLAYED: 8
PLAYED ON: PC
- Plenty of exploration that is full of mystery.
- Beautiful set pieces that are crafted to perfection.
- Stealth and Parkour mechanics that are incredibly fun and easy to perfect.
- Story was fairly absent throughout the game with the title focusing on gameplay.
- A few minor glitches that led to moments in the game becoming infuriating and stressful.
The Siege and the Sandfox will be released on May 20th on PC (Steam).
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Doom: The Dark Ages or our review of The Precinct.
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I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.
