Building comparison
head to head
Core KeepervsStarbound
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Core Keeper
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Excavating a procedurally generated underground world and solving its layered boss and crafting progression.
Starbound
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A 2D sandbox of procedurally generated planets driven by crafting progression.
Core Keeper leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Starbound leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Core KeeperStarbound
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Core Keeper
Boss fights and melee require learned dodge timing
Starbound
Light platforming and combat, generous margins
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Core Keeper
All bosses and enemies are scripted with fixed patterns
Starbound
Procedural NPCs follow simple fixed behaviours
Variance5 vs 4
Core Keeper leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Core Keeper
World seed, ore placement, and loot drops are randomised
Starbound
Procedural planets and loot keep early exploration unknown
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Core Keeper
Mining routes, crafting progression, and boss order are systematic
Starbound
Gear tiers, farming, and progression routes dominate
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.