This game goes for that retro Ninja Gaiden feel while executing everything it does at a modern, AAA level. Apparently from the studio behind Blasphemous, this game provides very accurate and polished 2D level design. The level design mixed with the lightning-quick and precise hack and slash combat allows the player to focus on honing their "skills" for this game. Everything is executed almost too well, by that I mean it leaves no excuses for all the deaths you might encounter while playing this game haha. This is a game that truly rewards you for taking 30 minutes to an hour to really focus-in on the mechanics of the ninja that you play, such as; Dodging, Deflecting projectiles with your sword, Double jumping off enemies and projectiles, climbing walls and hanging from platforms, Skill based Power attacks, The boss fights are well designed, mature, and require you to really focus in on the skills you learn while moving through the levels. + The team behind this game has shown they know what they are doing, and they execute it as good as any game development team around right now. If this game looks like it is down your alley, buy it!!
The Siege and The Sandfox's best aspects are the parkour mechanics, nice pixel art and exploring the world. If you like wandering in a metroidvania style labyrinth, lost and looking for any resemblances of story/game progressions, npcs, anything, than this game might be for you. The first few hours were definitely enjoyable, learning the parkour mechanics and trying to explore a bit of the map, but within 3-4 hours, you quickly realize that the game wants you to wander all over the map with no clear sense of direction or game progression. That is the main type of gameplay in Siege and the Sandfox. For example, a very common theme is to open your map and see an unexplored area. Assuming this will help the game progression, you go there and explore that area, only to find out that you cannot progress further and that its basically just a dead end that is of no use to you. Now, you have to spend another 45 minutes to an hour to get back to the area you were before, in order to search for a new area to get stuck in. If this sounds exhilarating to you, then this game might be for you. Pros: -Well thought out and fun parkour mechanics for moving through the map - Gorgeous Pixel Art - Good sound design and music - Certain areas have fun puzzle-type map mechanics Cons: - Designed to make the player explore endlessly, lost and without much purpose. - Besides the opening cinematic, no real story being told or discovered throughout the game. - Bugged Enemy AI (causing you to HAVE to reset to checkpoint) - Exploring the map is very punishing with little reward Conclusion: In my opinion, if everything was executed to a higher level, this type of game could be a 4 to 5 stars. But the fact that the story is basically non-existent, exploring the map is very punishing and unrewarding, and the game is riddled with bugs, I have to give this game a 2 out of 5 stars.
