head to head
vs
Animal Crossing: New HorizonsvsStardew Valley
Animal Crossing: New Horizons leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stardew Valley leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Animal Crossing: New HorizonsStardew Valley
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 8
Stardew Valley leans harder on optimization: Routing seasons, profit loops, and bundles dominates
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.