head to head
vs
A Plague Tale: InnocencevsPony Island
A Plague Tale: Innocence leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Pony Island leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
A Plague Tale: InnocencePony Island
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
A Plague Tale: Innocence leans harder on execution: Stealth and sling aiming need basic skill.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Pony Island leans harder on variance: Meta twists are hidden information that spend on first reveal
Optimization5 vs 5
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.