Building comparison
head to head
Donkey Kong Country ReturnsvsDOOM (2016)
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is reads, and it is a single point.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Retro Studios' notoriously tough revival of Donkey Kong Country with relentless set-piece levels.
DOOM (2016)
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Push-forward arena FPS where movement and aim are the whole game.
Donkey Kong Country Returns leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); DOOM (2016) leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Donkey Kong Country ReturnsDOOM (2016)
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.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Demanding rocket-barrel and mine-cart sections, strict timing
DOOM (2016)
Aim, movement, glory-kill timing all peak.
Reads0 vs 1
DOOM (2016) leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Scripted hazards, no adaptation
DOOM (2016)
Demons scripted attack patterns.
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Hidden puzzle pieces, fixed once found
DOOM (2016)
Minimal encounter randomness.
Optimization5 vs 5
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
KONG letters and time attack routes are learnable
DOOM (2016)
Rune and weapon mod picks meaningful.
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.