head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Solving type matchups and digivolution trees in a turn-based system with little randomness.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
A classic psychological adventure where an amnesiac navigates surreal delusions to recover his identity.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Sanitarium leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Turn-based menus demand no dexterity
Sanitarium
Point-and-click navigation requires no dexterity
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Enemy AI follows fixed patterns, never adapts
Sanitarium
No opponents; the delusions follow a fixed narrative
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Minor drop and encounter RNG, quickly mapped
Sanitarium
Surreal puzzle logic is unknown until reasoned out
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Digivolution trees, type matchups and team building solve fights
Sanitarium
Every chapter is a deterministic puzzle to solve
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.