The Siege and the Sandfox Image
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: A shining city lies besieged in the heart of a vast desert. As the moon rises over the royal palace, a notorious assassin watches the king die to a traitor's hand. Discovered, falsely accused and thrown into the labyrinthine dungeons below, they must escape to tell the tale else the cityA shining city lies besieged in the heart of a vast desert. As the moon rises over the royal palace, a notorious assassin watches the king die to a traitor's hand. Discovered, falsely accused and thrown into the labyrinthine dungeons below, they must escape to tell the tale else the city will fall.

    Explore the palace and cavernous depths below an ancient desert city, under siege by its neighbouring kingdom. Master dynamic parkour abilities and use cunning and stealth to discover the true threat lurking within.

    Evade guards, defeat enemies, befriend potential new allies, improve your skills, and foil the evil plot before it's too late.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. May 29, 2025
    80
    The Siege and the Sandfox is a beautifully realized Metroidvania that succeeds in every artistic aspect, from its pixel-perfect visuals and soundtrack to its intricate worldbuilding. While it stumbles somewhat in its necessary backtracking and stiff controls, the overall experience is both compelling and memorable. For fans of stealth, fantasy, and classic Metroidvania exploration, this game serves as a rewarding adventure.
  2. May 27, 2025
    80
    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.
  3. May 27, 2025
    80
    It’s a rare Metroidvania that feels different, that knows what it wants to be and manages to pull it off without feeling overly indebted to the games that inspired it. I enjoyed it, but most importantly, I felt like I was playing something with its own identity. Like the Sandfox themself, it could not be here without what came before it. But like the Sandfox, it charts its own path forward.
  4. May 23, 2025
    70
    A old-skool minded metroidvania, unhampered by combat, The Siege and the Sandfox excels in its stealthy confines, creating a dark and masterful labyrinth to explore to your heart's content, but often because you are frustratingly lost.
  5. Edge Magazine
    Jun 12, 2025
    70
    If patience is required, though, it's equally repaid. Playing as the Sandfox remains inherently pleasing, along with the game's story and atmosphere. A little post-launch care could see it truly shine. [Issue#412, p.120]
  6. May 30, 2025
    70
    The Siege and the Sandfox is a unique combination of metroidvania and stealth, boasting some great ideas, but the poor execution of several of its elements results in a rather gritty mix.
  7. Jun 2, 2025
    40
    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.

See all 14 Critic Reviews