head to head
vs
Alien SyndromevsShantae and the Pirate's Curse
Alien Syndrome leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Shantae and the Pirate's Curse leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Alien SyndromeShantae and the Pirate's Curse
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 1
Alien Syndrome leans harder on variance: Hostage and weapon spots are unknown until learned
Optimization4 vs 5
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse leans harder on optimization: Item order and route knowledge matter, especially speedrunning
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.