Building comparison
head to head
BanishedvsDemocracy 4
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Banished
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Harsh village-builder; balance population, food, and winter.
Democracy 4
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Solving an interlocking policy simulation to stay elected - nearly pure systems play.
Banished leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Democracy 4 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
BanishedDemocracy 4
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Banished leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Banished
no mechanical layer
Democracy 4
Clicking policy sliders involves zero physical skill
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Banished
no opponent
Democracy 4
Voter blocs react by fixed simulation rules, not adaptation
Variance3 vs 3
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Banished
weather, disease events
Democracy 4
Random events and hidden voter thresholds inject mild uncertainty
Optimization9 vs 8
Banished leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Banished
population ratios and food planning
Democracy 4
A perfect coach solves the policy-web economy almost entirely
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.