head to head
vs
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightvsFaxanadu
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Faxanadu leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightFaxanadu
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Faxanadu leans harder on execution: Stiff NES melee and jump timing
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
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.