Building comparison
head to head
Contra: Hard CorpsvsGhosts 'n Goblins
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Contra: Hard Corps
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Memorising brutal scripted patterns and executing them without a single slip.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Capcom's infamously punishing arcade platformer that makes you beat it twice for the real ending.
Contra: Hard Corps leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Contra: Hard CorpsGhosts 'n Goblins
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Contra: Hard Corps
One-hit deaths under relentless bullet pressure demand perfect inputs
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Committed jumps and pixel-precise throws, no mercy
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Contra: Hard Corps
Bosses are fully scripted setpieces
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Enemy spawns are scripted
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Contra: Hard Corps
Everything fixed once routes and patterns are known
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Red Arremer movement adds slight noise
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Contra: Hard Corps
Memorising boss patterns, weapons and branching routes is mandatory
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Weapon choice and route memorisation are mandatory
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.