head to head
vs
DarkwoodvsDeath Must Die
Darkwood leans Variance (Systems & Chaos); Death Must Die leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
DarkwoodDeath Must Die
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Death Must Die leans harder on execution: Dodging projectile waves needs movement skill.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance6 vs 6
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
Death Must Die leans harder on optimization: Skill scaling and god synergies reward planning.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.