head to head

Atom Zombie Smasher cover artvsX-COM: UFO Defense cover art

Atom Zombie SmashervsX-COM: UFO Defense

Atom Zombie Smasher leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); X-COM: UFO Defense leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).

EXECUTION2 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE6 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10
Atom Zombie SmasherX-COM: UFO Defense

Axis by axis

Execution2 vs 1

Atom Zombie Smasher leans harder on execution: Placing units and aiming artillery is unhurried

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance6 vs 6

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization7 vs 8

X-COM: UFO Defense leans harder on optimization: Base economy, research order, and tactical doctrine are masterable

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Atom Zombie Smasher →

full breakdown

X-COM: UFO Defense →