Building comparison
head to head
CocoonvsMario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Cocoon
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A surreal puzzle-adventure about nesting worlds inside orbs.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A lemmings-style puzzle series testing deterministic route planning for marching minis.
Cocoon leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
CocoonMario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Cocoon
Inputs are simple movement and a button.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Stylus rib-placement under mild time pressure
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Cocoon
Puzzles are fixed designs.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Minis follow strict lemming-like movement rules
Variance1 vs 0
Cocoon leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Cocoon
No randomness.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Puzzles are fully deterministic and visible
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Cocoon
Pure puzzle logic, solvable by reasoning.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Routing minis to the door efficiently is the whole test
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.