head to head
vs
Dark SoulsvsDemon's Souls
Dark Souls leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Demon's Souls leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Dark SoulsDemon's Souls
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Dark Souls leans harder on execution: Timing dodges and stamina control define every encounter.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Demon's Souls leans harder on variance: World tendency and upgrade drops add mild noise.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.