Building comparison
head to head
1917: The Alien Invasion DXvsMetal Slug
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A memorization bullet-hell shooter testing reflexes against fixed enemy patterns.
Metal Slug
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting layered over memorised arcade stage routes.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
1917: The Alien Invasion DXMetal Slug
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX
Dodging dense bullet patterns at speed is the lead skill
Metal Slug
Dodging dense bullet patterns and precise shots carry every credit
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX
Enemies follow scripted waves, not adaptive behaviour
Metal Slug
Enemies follow fixed arcade scripts, never adapt
Variance2 vs 1
1917: The Alien Invasion DX leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX
Patterns hidden until memorized across runs
Metal Slug
Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
1917: The Alien Invasion DX
Memorizing fixed bullet patterns and routing is core
Metal Slug
One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.