head to head
vs
Boyfriend DungeonvsPony Island
Boyfriend Dungeon leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Pony Island leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Boyfriend DungeonPony Island
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Boyfriend Dungeon leans harder on execution: Light hack-and-slash dodging with generous timing windows
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Boyfriend Dungeon leans harder on variance: Procedural dungeon layouts and drops are hidden until run
Optimization5 vs 5
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.