Building comparison
head to head
DeponiavsRiven: The Sequel to Myst
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Deponia
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A chaotic comedy adventure whose elaborate multi-step puzzles test patience with absurd causal chains.
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A cerebral puzzle-adventure that is essentially a logic puzzle to be fully solved.
Deponia leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Riven: The Sequel to Myst leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
DeponiaRiven: The Sequel to Myst
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Deponia leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Deponia
Point-and-click with no timing elements
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
no reflex or physical skill required
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Deponia
Comedy adventure with scripted characters throughout
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
no opponent present in the game
Variance1 vs 0
Deponia leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Deponia
Deterministic puzzle world with fixed solutions
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
fully deterministic puzzle world
Optimization8 vs 9
Riven: The Sequel to Myst leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Deponia
Convoluted Rube Goldberg puzzle chains demand careful causal mapping
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
pure logic-puzzle solving, walkthrough-solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.