Building comparison
head to head
Baldur's GatevsShin Megami Tensei
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Baldur's Gate
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The classic AD&D CRPG where party planning beats dice luck over time.
Shin Megami Tensei
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The original post-apocalyptic demon-fusing dungeon crawler where preparation and fusion knowledge decide survival.
Baldur's Gate leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shin Megami Tensei leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Baldur's GateShin Megami Tensei
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 1
Baldur's Gate leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Baldur's Gate
Pause-and-play needs minimal dexterity.
Shin Megami Tensei
First-person menu battles; trivial inputs.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Baldur's Gate
Scripted encounters, no adaptation.
Shin Megami Tensei
Demon negotiation is random, not adaptive.
Variance5 vs 5
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Baldur's Gate
AD&D dice rolls throughout.
Shin Megami Tensei
Negotiation rolls, ambushes, and moon-phase RNG bite hard.
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Baldur's Gate
Party builds and encounter prep solvable.
Shin Megami Tensei
Fusion charts, alignment routes, and weakness mapping are solvable.
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.