Building comparison
head to head
BanishedvsSimCity (2013)
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.
Banished
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Harsh village-builder; balance population, food, and winter.
SimCity (2013)
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A small-plot city builder where specialization economics and traffic engineering decide success.
Banished leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); SimCity (2013) leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
BanishedSimCity (2013)
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Banished
no mechanical layer
SimCity (2013)
Mouse planning; no dexterity demands.
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
SimCity (2013)
No opponent; multiplayer regions cooperate.
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
SimCity (2013)
Agent simulation quirks behave unpredictably.
Optimization9 vs 8
Banished leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Banished
population ratios and food planning
SimCity (2013)
Specialization chains and traffic layouts reward systematic planning.
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.