head to head
vs
DescentvsHollow Knight
Descent leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Hollow Knight leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
DescentHollow Knight
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
Hollow Knight leans harder on reads: Bosses run scripted attack pools; not adaptive.
Variance2 vs 1
Descent leans harder on variance: Mine layouts fixed; ambushes surprise only once
Optimization6 vs 6
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.