Building comparison
head to head
Costume Quest 2vsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Costume Quest 2 demands more variance; Portal demands more optimization.
Costume Quest 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A gentle turn-based RPG testing costume-ability synergy with light timing minigames.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Costume Quest 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Costume Quest 2Portal
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
Portal leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Costume Quest 2
Timed button presses boost attacks but stay forgiving
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Costume Quest 2
Enemies follow fixed turn-based scripts, never adapting
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance2 vs 0
Costume Quest 2 leans clearly harder on variance.
Costume Quest 2
Little is hidden beyond which costume drops where
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization6 vs 8
Portal leans clearly harder on optimization.
Costume Quest 2
Picking costume combos and stamps that trivialise fights is the game
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
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.