Building comparison
head to head
Bravely DefaultvsPokémon Red
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Bravely Default
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A classic-styled JRPG whose brave/default system turns turns themselves into a resource.
Pokémon Red
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The original monster-collecting RPG that built the catch-train-battle loop.
Bravely Default leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Pokémon Red leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Bravely DefaultPokémon Red
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Bravely Default
Turn-based menus; no physical demands
Pokémon Red
Turn-based menus
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Bravely Default
Bosses follow fixed scripts
Pokémon Red
Trainer AI is rudimentary and fixed
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Bravely Default
Minor drop and encounter randomness
Pokémon Red
Wild encounters and catch rolls
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Bravely Default
Job combos and brave/default economy are deeply solvable
Pokémon Red
Type matchups and team building solve the campaign
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.