Building comparison
head to head
Borderlands 2vsThe Painscreek Killings
Borderlands 2 asks more than The Painscreek Killings, and the gap is execution.
Borderlands 2
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Loot-shooter RPG built on gear chasing.
The Painscreek Killings
Variance · Systems & Chaos
Excavating a town's hidden history through unguided, methodical deduction.
Borderlands 2 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); The Painscreek Killings leans Variance (Systems & Chaos).
Borderlands 2The Painscreek Killings
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 1
Borderlands 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Borderlands 2
Aim matters but generous hit feel
The Painscreek Killings
Walking and photographing, nothing physical
Reads1 vs 0
Borderlands 2 leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Borderlands 2
Enemies are scripted loot fodder
The Painscreek Killings
An empty town - no one to outwit
Variance6 vs 7
The Painscreek Killings leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Borderlands 2
Procedurally generated weapon drops vary
The Painscreek Killings
The entire mystery is hidden information to excavate
Optimization8 vs 5
Borderlands 2 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Borderlands 2
Skill trees and gear math heavily solved
The Painscreek Killings
Cross-referencing keys, dates and letters is methodical deduction
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.