Yeah, yeah, I know. This hack got a lot of love this year for what it did, and it is so rightly deserved (as you have or may very well read in the three other categories it won (sorta spoilers!)) However, there were a few complaints going for it that cannot be unfairly addressed for the scope of its design - the bigger one tries to be, the harder one falls, or so they say, and Z-Factor made a very small number of mistakes that haven't hindered its success this year in the slightest.

For the scope of the hack itself, despite the fact that all exploration was eventually rewarding, there were a number of situations where the casual gamer could get stuck for hours and not know where to go next, most notably the completely unmarked passage that lead to Super Missiles in Pink Brinstar, the switch that leads to the Chozo Ball Guardian, and the sandfall to Maridia where the player obtains Grapple beam - and much less a couple of other places the player could get stuck or otherwise lost if they went the wrong way. The lack of hints and map suggestions has since been addressed in future patches of the hack, however.

This leads to my next point on Z-Factor - at points, certain enemies and situations could prove to be more than an annoyance to the player than anything, usually leading to death or frustration, whichever comes first. Bulls are usually the offenders here, but most times underwater Puyos or large Sidehoppers also offer such an inconvenience. Granted, large Sidehoppers also offered this problem in Redesign, but in Z-Factor this occurrence is sadly much more common. It also offers a heat run, and though it is much more forgiving compared to Redesign's it can still offer its own fair share of frustration due to its length and sometimes inconspicuous visual hints to the way forward.

All in all, Z-Factor is an amazing hack. Don't let what I've said here stop you from playing it. Just be forewarned that much pain is in store if you play the initial release. Though some of the Metconstians disagree with the direction Metaquarius is taking his hack in with each new patch fix release, it is also ultimately his hack and he may choose to make the passages less obscure in the ways he sees fit. This honorable mention is just to remind Metak that next time he makes a hack, getting a beta tester or two to help out can't hurt an otherwise amazing hack of the year. Polish makes perfect!
- Zhs2