Building comparison
head to head
Alien SoldiervsCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Alien Soldier
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Treasure's Mega Drive boss-rush gauntlet demanding flawless execution against giant setpieces.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Execution · Pure Mechanics
The hardest NES Castlevania, with branching routes and switchable partner characters.
Alien Soldier leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Alien SoldierCastlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Alien Soldier
Frame-tight dodges across thirty-plus bosses
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Brutal platforming and tight whip timing throughout
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Alien Soldier
Bosses fully scripted
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Scripted enemies and bosses only
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Alien Soldier
Nothing hidden after one loop
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Minor enemy spawn wobble
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Alien Soldier
Weapon loadout and moveset mastery solvable
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Partner choice, route branching, pattern memory
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.