The Siege and the Sandfox is a stealthy metroidvania coming in 2023

Tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak

It’s nice to see a cool off-the-radar indie game resurface with a release window after years of wondering. This is my first time seeing The Siege and the Sandfox, but as a stealth-based metroidvania with detailed pixel art, it quickly left a good impression.

The developers at Cardboard Sword have teamed up with publisher Koch Media to launch their debut game. Along with a new trailer this week (which helps reintroduce the “stealthvania” concept), they’ve set their sights on a 2023 release on PC.

If you’re curious about the game’s name, here’s the deal: a desert kingdom is under siege, and you’ll sneak around as a legendary figure, the Sandfox, to save the kingdom.

“The Sandfox — known as the Kasha’i — is famed across the land as the legendary line of faithful protectors and servants to the crown. The current holder of this mantle has been left for dead at the base of ‘Traitor’s Fall’ — a deep pit leading to the depths of the underground prisons. Betrayed by the Queen in order to hide her regicide, you must now take on the role of the Sandfox and begin your journey back up to the palace.”

Metroidvania meets parkour

With metroidvania roots, expanding your traversal options will be part of the progression and it’ll come down to getting new items, equipment, and skills, according to the team.

The Siege and the Sandfox is split up into distinct areas — the prison, palace, mausoleum, and caves, to name a few — but it’s all “one giant continuous world.”

As the screenshots show, there’s a lot of environmental detail to take in — a godsend when you’re trying to weigh your stealth options and hopefully leave no trace.

“This project is a passionate combination of stealth and 16-bit era games, brought into the modern world with beautiful visual effects and techniques,” according to Cardboard Sword CEO Olly Bennett. “We wanted to make something new yet nostalgic.”

The Siege and the Sandfox will be available for PC on Steam, GOG, the Humble Store, and the Epic Games Store in 2023. Above all, I’m on board for the pixel art.