head to head
vs
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightvsStyx: Shards of Darkness
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Styx: Shards of Darkness leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightStyx: Shards of Darkness
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 8
Styx: Shards of Darkness leans harder on optimization: Clone economy, rope optimisation, and route planning are the lead skill
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.