head to head
vs
Dead CellsvsSpelunky
Dead Cells leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Spelunky leans Execution (Twitch Chaos).
Dead CellsSpelunky
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 7
Spelunky leans harder on variance: Procedural caves and item rolls shape every run.
Optimization7 vs 6
Dead Cells leans harder on optimization: Build synergy and biome routing significantly improve runs.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.