head to head
vs
Comix ZonevsNinja Gaiden Sigma
Comix Zone leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Ninja Gaiden Sigma leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Comix ZoneNinja Gaiden Sigma
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 9
Ninja Gaiden Sigma leans harder on execution: Aggressive enemies punish any input slack; blocking and i-frames gate everything
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 6
Ninja Gaiden Sigma leans harder on optimization: Essence economy, weapon upgrades, and encounter knowledge compound
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.