Building comparison
head to head
Black & WhitevsThrough the Darkest of Times
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Black & White
Optimization · Pure Optimization
God game about winning worshippers through miracles and training a giant pet creature.
Through the Darkest of Times
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Risk-budgeting resistance actions against historical events and probabilistic crackdowns.
Black & White leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Through the Darkest of Times leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Black & WhiteThrough the Darkest of Times
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Black & White leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Black & White
Gesture-cast miracles; minimal dexterity stakes
Through the Darkest of Times
Turn-based planning with no physical component
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
Through the Darkest of Times
The regime escalates on historical script, not by modelling you
Variance3 vs 4
Through the Darkest of Times leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Black & White
Creature learning quirks surprise first plays
Through the Darkest of Times
Raids, arrests and event outcomes roll against hidden odds
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black & White
Village economy, belief spread, and creature training
Through the Darkest of Times
Balancing morale, funds and member risk is a solvable system
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.