head to head
vs
Castlevania: Harmony of DespairvsDead Cells
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Dead Cells leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Harmony of DespairDead Cells
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 8
Dead Cells leans harder on execution: Tight platforming, parries, and dodge-rolls demand precise inputs.
Reads0 vs 1
Dead Cells leans harder on reads: Enemy patterns are scripted; no adaptive modeling.
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.