head to head
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine DoorsvsKathy Rain: Director's Cut
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Kathy Rain: Director's Cut leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine DoorsKathy Rain: Director's Cut
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Kathy Rain: Director's Cut leans harder on execution: Pointing and clicking carries no motor test
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 5
Kathy Rain: Director's Cut leans harder on variance: The mystery's clues are hidden information until found
Optimization6 vs 6
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

