Lush "pure stealth" metroidvania The Siege And The Sandfox launches in May
The quick brown fox blackjacks the lazy guard dog
We have all ridden the emotional rollercoaster of thinking that we're smart and patient enough to play a dedicated stealth game, then realising that we're inept and bored and just want to bonk things with a big axe. Still, I'm moderately enthused by this here release date trailer for The Siege And The Sandfox, a 2D metroidvania in which you clamber steadily out of a huge, opulent dungeon.
It launches on 20th May, and puts me in mind of Prince Of Persia, Animal Well, Vagante and Blasphemous. Obligatory but sincere Google-baiting intro comparisons: done. Tray-tray, away!
You are the Sandfox, obviously - a "notorious assassin" and royal protector - and that's your own desert city that's under Siege. As the game begins, the Sandfox catches the city's Queen murdering the King. She promptly throws him into a big hole. Left for dead, you must journey upward through a realm of caves, mausoleums and decrepit yet majestic architecture, making a few friends and avoiding quite a lot of guards and area-specific ne'er-do-wells with distinct capabilities. The aesthetic isn't startling but it is enveloping: a generous, greasy cut of 16-bit orientalism, with lots of baroque backdrops and light seeping through the pixels.
You will make use of parkour techniques such as pole-swinging, together with devious, underhand gambits such as politely closing doors behind you. Along the way you will encounter an ancient evil. Something tells me that the ancient evil will ultimately prove more important than getting vengeance on the Queen. Wouldn't be surprised if the Queen was the goodie, actually. Wouldn't be surprised if she butchered the King to keep said ancient evil in check somehow. But enough of my soothsaying.
Developers Cardboard Sword are "an AAA-experienced multi-talented team with over 160 years of combined experience". I hate self-promotion that weirdly slops together the lifeforce of team members. I'm spitefully picturing one stooped and spindly programmer with a long white beard, surrounded by a crowd of shrieking eight-year-old designers and artists. Their other games include Transmission, which is "Euro Truck Simulator meets Jalopy on a rainy summer night in 1986".