head to head
vs
Crash BandicootvsMicro Mages
Crash Bandicoot leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Micro Mages leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Crash BandicootMicro Mages
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
Micro Mages leans harder on reads: Enemies are scripted NES patterns, not adaptive
Variance1 vs 2
Micro Mages leans harder on variance: Fixed level layouts with little randomness once learned
Optimization5 vs 5
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.