Building comparison
head to head
Contra III: The Alien WarsvsGhosts 'n Goblins
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Peak 16-bit run-and-gun of set-piece bosses and razor-thin dodges.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Capcom's infamously punishing arcade platformer that makes you beat it twice for the real ending.
Contra III: The Alien Wars leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Contra III: The Alien WarsGhosts '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 III: The Alien Wars
Relentless bosses and bullet dodging
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 III: The Alien Wars
Set-piece bosses are pure scripts
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 III: The Alien Wars
Everything is fixed and learnable
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 III: The Alien Wars
Weapon management and pattern memorization
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.