Building comparison
head to head
Black & WhitevsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Black & White demands more variance; Portal demands more execution.
Black & White
Optimization · Pure Optimization
God game about winning worshippers through miracles and training a giant pet creature.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Black & White leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Black & WhitePortal
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 4
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Black & White
Gesture-cast miracles; minimal dexterity stakes
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black & White
Rival gods follow scripted strategies
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance3 vs 0
Black & White leans clearly harder on variance.
Black & White
Creature learning quirks surprise first plays
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization7 vs 8
Portal leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Black & White
Village economy, belief spread, and creature training
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
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.