head to head
vs
Donut CountyvsThe Stanley Parable
Donut County leans Optimization (Light / Casual); The Stanley Parable leans Variance (Light / Casual).
Donut CountyThe Stanley Parable
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Donut County leans harder on execution: Moving a hole; near-zero dexterity
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
The Stanley Parable leans harder on variance: Endings are hidden information until you wander into them
Optimization2 vs 2
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.