Building comparison
head to head
DescentvsSuper Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Descent
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Pioneering six-degrees-of-freedom shooter through robot-infested mines.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Arthur's infamous SNES gauntlet of armor-shattering hazards that must be beaten twice with the right weapon.
Descent leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
DescentSuper Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Descent
Full 6DOF control and aim under disorientation is the test
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Committed double jump and relentless hazards punish errors
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Descent
Scripted robot behaviors, no adaptation
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Scripted spawns, no adaptation
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Descent
Mine layouts fixed; ambushes surprise only once
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Chest contents and zombie spawns add light randomness
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Descent
Route memorization and weapon economy reward optimization
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Weapon management and mandatory second loop demand routing
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.