head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Cyberpunk point-and-click adventure through a dystopian Australian mega-city.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Tests playful experimentation with item combinations across a small storybook world.
Beneath a Steel Sky leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Pilgrims leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Pilgrims leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Beneath a Steel Sky
Point-and-click; no dexterity required
Pilgrims
Playing cards on scenes takes no dexterity
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Beneath a Steel Sky
No opponent; scripted characters
Pilgrims
Charming NPCs react predictably, never adapt
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Beneath a Steel Sky
First-run puzzle surprises only
Pilgrims
Outcomes are scripted-but-unknown until experimented with
Beneath a Steel Sky leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Beneath a Steel Sky
Inventory puzzle chains are fully solvable
Pilgrims
Finding multiple item-combination solutions is the whole game
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.