Building comparison
head to head
DinkumvsEarthBound
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.
Dinkum
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Building an Australian outback town by solving its licence-gated crafting progression and visitor systems.
EarthBound
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A subversive JRPG where understanding rolling HP mechanics and PSI optimization defeats its quirky scripted encounters.
Dinkum leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); EarthBound leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
DinkumEarthBound
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dinkum
Hunting and combat have light timing demands
EarthBound
Rolling HP meter has very mild timing implication
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dinkum
Animals and NPCs use scripted, predictable behaviour
EarthBound
All enemies scripted with fixed attack patterns
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dinkum
Resource deposits and visiting merchant stock introduce moderate RNG
EarthBound
PSI randomness, enemy attack variety, and encounter triggers add unpredictability
Optimization6 vs 7
EarthBound leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Dinkum
Town development, licence unlocks, and resource routing are solvable
EarthBound
Status effects, rolling HP strategy, and Franklin Badge usage are 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.