head to head
vs
Dear EsthervsMario Paint
Dear Esther leans Variance (Light / Casual); Mario Paint leans Execution (Light / Casual).
Dear EstherMario Paint
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Mario Paint leans harder on execution: Mouse doodling and the fly-swat minigame
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 0
Dear Esther leans harder on variance: Narration fragments are semi-randomised between playthroughs.
Optimization1 vs 1
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.