head to head
vs
Death StrandingvsPenumbra: Overture
Death Stranding leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Penumbra: Overture leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Death StrandingPenumbra: Overture
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
Death Stranding leans harder on execution: Balance and traversal inputs, modest demands.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
Death Stranding leans harder on optimization: Cargo loadouts, routes, structures highly solvable.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.