Despite having a theme that might put off some people, Zako no Ahiru is beautifully executed. Bravo. 9/10.

Normal mode feels like a masterclass in what makes a good foddy-like... which does make it hurt a little for Hard mode's level to take the mechanics to the extreme, similar to other less successfully executed foddy likes.

However, multiple ways to play the game is always good. Kudos.

There's plenty of callbacks to GOI's level design as well, from obvious analogues in the starting tree and the rocks in space, to less obvious ones in orange hell. Hardmode's final obstacle is even a radio tower.

Mechanically, save states in a foddy-like are an underappreciated feature. The game is supposed to be difficult, but that doesn't mean you shouldnt be able to go back and practice the difficult parts. Eventually you'll get good enough that you wont need mary's help anymore.

This is absolutely my favorite part of the game's design. If you wanna see the ending of the game, go on ahead and push the button. Your reliable narrator will be more than happy to help you. As expressed by both foddy and mary in the endgame, they're just happy for you to be playing.

But the death planes aren't as big as a prog. loss as you'd expect. The game is still pretty short and you have an opportunity to "Call for help" to bring you back to a notable landmark at the cost of your pride... and thats it. There's no penalty to asking your narrator for help.

ZNA is not without its flaws - this side of the last part of the level is a death plane. Combine that with slippery air control and one wrong step can lead to mockery...and an immense loss of progress.

This is likely by design - its an opportunity for the narr. to interject at a harsher scale.

Another thing is that GOI and ZNA are not long games - too many challenges presented to the player in a row can be very daunting. The duration comes from the loss of progress/learning process that comes from falling. These games achieve a happy medium with a small enough map.

- dont punish the player too harshly for making a mistake. ZNA takes this to heart by presenting its level in two parts, with pinch points that - while it does have consequences for falling - don't send you too far... or at least gives you a chance to recover. You'll get teased for it either way.

While some foddy-likes tend to make their difficulty in their unorthodox movement *and* their level design, what most forget and not realize until they've played getting over it a few times is that GOI is very forgiving.

The GOI level tends to wrap around itself to form pseudo checkpoints that -

ok but we are ready for the convo that melee yoshi would burn r2 to the ground

nobody is ready for the conversation that ori would save r2

pivot nair

my devious floor drill

Oh hlen my beloved