head to head
vs
Castlevania: Harmony of DespairvsSteamWorld Dig
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); SteamWorld Dig leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Harmony of DespairSteamWorld Dig
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 4
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair leans harder on execution: Boss pattern dodges and speed-clear movement demand skill
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair leans harder on optimization: Route optimisation and gear builds dominate clear times
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.