The Siege and the Sandfox

It is now more than six years since we first saw The Siege and the Sandfox for the first time, a game that already made a strong impression on yours truly with its marvellous genre blend of Metroid and Prince of Persia, spiced up with a hefty dose of stealth. So in the present, several years later, to actually have the opportunity to explore the gorgeous environments, soak up the fairy-tale essence that so clearly characterises every scene, room and smallest detail, it feels like a real privilege. Especially when you consider the long road that The Siege and the Sandfox has actually travelled to reach a finished stage.

Stealthvania, is it a thing now? Because how else to best try and describe this 2D adventure that borrows equal parts from Prince of Persia, Mark of the Ninja, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Yes, there's even a splash of Mega Drive gem Aladdin here, which certainly adds to the somewhat odd, wondrous marriage of platforming, parkour, and stealth. From the depths of the dark caves beneath the city to the tops of the gleaming minarets, there's plenty to explore, and even more to love. So let's dig a little deeper and see what The Siege and the Sandfox actually has to offer.

Let's take it from the top. You are The Sandfox, a famous assassin and protector of the realm who happens to stumble into a political conspiracy that results in you being falsely accused of treason and thrown into a dungeon, where you are expected to rot away for eternity. You strike back from a position of inferiority and darkness, with freedom as your first priority, followed by revenge, a setup of classic proportions, a journey that takes you from the underground ruins through winding passageways, to the top of the palace with its stately halls, all in search of truth and retribution.

Along the way, you'll encounter obstacles that require you to unlock abilities to overcome, and as expected there are plenty of enemies and secrets to discover. But the catch is that you can't whip out a gun and blast the opposition away with lasers or rockets. Combat isn't something the game focuses on and you can't even destroy the enemies. This is not another Samus adventure or Hollow Knight where you flip around with weapons and throw fireballs left and right.

The Siege and the Sandfox is all about finesse and being one step ahead, a little sharper than everything else. It's a journey through the shadows where you plod along in as much silence as possible. A thief minus the moments where you sneak up on guards to incapacitate or even completely sneak around them, something that initially feels a little unfamiliar and can definitely be a test of patience, but is hugely satisfying at the best of times. It's a different kind of challenge that isn't exactly the norm in this kind of 2D adventure. You have to give it some time before everything falls into place and the gameplay actually clicks, which feels incredibly rewarding when it does.

Visually, The Siege and the Sandfox shines in my opinion. Not necessarily on a technical level, although both the animations and pixel work are phenomenal. No, the real star here is the unity. How well all the elements actually work together to produce that almost ethereal feeling of being in the middle of one of Scheherazade's tales. It's a cocktail of Flashback, Prince of Persia, and Castlevania IV, a world filled with shimmering mosaics, epic architecture where rays of light from above filter down into the underworld. It's big, it's grand, and it's very charming, because even though the competition in the genre is downright terrifying and beautiful pixel games are not exactly in short supply, The Siege and the Sandfox really manages to do something special here.

Another aspect that is as important as it is worth highlighting is the soundscape. Brendan O'Callaghan has done a masterful job of really capturing that fairy-tale and magical feeling. The soundtrack is filled with traditional instruments and oriental motifs that constantly lurk in the background. It's often quiet and meditative, which works incredibly well with both the environments as well as the game's theme. There are no bombastic songs here, but rather a sense of reverence and awe. And yes, sounds from yourself obviously play a huge part too, with different surfaces giving off different amounts of noise, something to be avoided at all costs if you don't want to have angry guards running after you.

If you run on stone, it makes a noise. If you run on sand, it makes less noise. If you jump close to a guard who is standing with his ears pricked, well... you'll have to start again from the last checkpoint. It's an interesting and well-balanced ballet, where you're sometimes sneaking, listening, waiting, and planning. It's all about reading the environment, observing your surroundings, be it sound, light, the eyes of the guards, everything comes into play. Embrace your inner Drake Mallard and outsmart the opposition, like a spirit in the night.

But there's one specific part of the game that caught me off guard more than anything else - the showstopper so to speak. And that's the controls themselves, complete with all the movements of the Sandfox, which are so ridiculously smooth that they evoke a rotoscope feeling. Running, jumping, sliding on walls, and climbing ropes not only feels natural but almost poetic. It's very satisfying, but also, sometimes, a little frustrating. It only takes one mistake for you to be discovered and the Another World vibes are strong here, for better or worse. But as you progress, you're also rewarded with new abilities, you fall into the rhythm and the movements become more and more natural.

Alongside your expansive arsenal of acrobatics, the map is your absolute best friend, which, in classic Metroidvania fashion, is drawn up gradually as you explore the expansive world, to say the least, which also opens up more as you acquire new abilities and access previously inaccessible places. It's not what I'd describe as an explosion of power-ups, but more about subtle and often not entirely obviously useful things. Keys, boots that make less noise and, as mentioned earlier, pure movement techniques.

It all makes exploration more methodical in its pace, and like a lot in the game, things take their time, which can probably be seen as a bit of a turnoff and will probably split the player base a bit. The Siege and the Sandfox is not a power-up fest that lets you bounce around like a glowing demigod shooting lightning out of your fingertips. No, this is more about opening up the mental notebook and jotting down all the details so you actually remember where "that door with the rickety locks was from earlier".

The Siege and the Sandfox is not a game for those looking for an adrenaline rush, in other words, which I hope my text has managed to make clear. If, on the other hand, you get pleasure from patiently studying your surroundings and carefully planning your way forward, to choose your moment like a ninja and execute a perfectly thought-out series of manoeuvres, then this is for you. It's a game that requires patience, can often feel a little punishing, and certainly takes you back to the days of old when Flashback and Another World tested your stamina and ability to observe your surroundings.

It's an odd little gem, a diamond in the rough with a distinctive character. A passionate project with great personality, spiced with nostalgia, and with an insidious level of difficulty. The Siege and the Sandfox is not an experience for everyone, and it's no secret that it often feels like a handwritten love letter from 1993, signed by Jordan Mechner. It's beautiful, smart, meditative, and sometimes quite brutal. But it's a journey well worth taking, a sound-sensitive dance between shadows and death that offers a strangely polished experience that richly rewards the tactical and patient.