Building comparison
head to head
Black & WhitevsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Black & White demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more execution.
Black & White
Optimization · Pure Optimization
God game about winning worshippers through miracles and training a giant pet creature.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Black & White leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Black & WhitePortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Black & White
Gesture-cast miracles; minimal dexterity stakes
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
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 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance3 vs 0
Black & White leans clearly harder on variance.
Black & White
Creature learning quirks surprise first plays
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization7 vs 9
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Black & White
Village economy, belief spread, and creature training
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire 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.