head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
The genre-defining metroidvania with deep RPG systems.

Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A brutal post-apoc RPG where faction routing and stat planning gate progress.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); ELEX leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
ELEX leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Forgiving action combat
ELEX
Stiff action combat punishes mistimed swings
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Scripted bosses
ELEX
Scripted enemy AI
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Item drops and rare gear
ELEX
Loot and faction check variance
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Build crafting and sequence breaks
ELEX
Faction, attribute, and gear planning critical
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.