head to head
vs
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightvsStar Ocean: Till the End of Time
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Star Ocean: Till the End of Time leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightStar Ocean: Till the End of Time
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time leans harder on execution: Real-time dodging, cancels, and fury management.
Reads1 vs 0
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans harder on reads: Scripted bosses
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.