head to head
vs
Castlevania: The AdventurevsCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Castlevania: The Adventure leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Castlevania: The AdventureCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 8
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back leans harder on execution: Slide-jump precision across varied hazards
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance0 vs 1
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back leans harder on variance: Fixed levels with hidden but static secrets
Optimization5 vs 5
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.