head to head
vs
Darkest of DaysvsMDK
Darkest of Days leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); MDK leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Darkest of DaysMDK
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization3 vs 4
MDK leans harder on optimization: Learning arena gimmicks and item use solves each level
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.