head to head
vs
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightvsYs I & II Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Ys I & II Chronicles leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightYs I & II Chronicles
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Ys I & II Chronicles leans harder on execution: Bump-combat angles and boss dodging need real precision.
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.