Building comparison
head to head
Crystal DefendersvsPlants vs. Zombies
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Crystal Defenders
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A Final Fantasy tower defense about optimal unit placement against fixed waves.
Plants vs. Zombies
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Lane defense classic about managing a sun economy against shambling waves.
Crystal Defenders leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Plants vs. Zombies leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Crystal DefendersPlants vs. Zombies
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Crystal Defenders
No twitch element; placement is deliberate
Plants vs. Zombies
Clicking to plant, minimal pressure
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Crystal Defenders
Enemies follow fixed paths, no adaptation
Plants vs. Zombies
Zombie waves follow set compositions
Variance2 vs 3
Plants vs. Zombies leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Crystal Defenders
Enemy waves are predetermined once learned
Plants vs. Zombies
Wave timing and lane pressure vary mildly
Optimization9 vs 8
Crystal Defenders leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Crystal Defenders
Unit placement and upgrade economy is the whole game
Plants vs. Zombies
Sun economy and lane setups are near-solvable
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.