head to head
vs
Castlevania: Harmony of DissonancevsTomb Raider
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Tomb Raider leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Harmony of DissonanceTomb Raider
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Tomb Raider leans harder on execution: Grid-based jumps need deliberate, precise positioning
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Tomb Raider leans harder on variance: First-run trap and secret locations are unknown
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.