head to head
vs
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingvsKnights of Pen and Paper
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Knights of Pen and Paper leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingKnights of Pen and Paper
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Knights of Pen and Paper leans harder on execution: Turn-based menu combat, no hands
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King leans harder on optimization: Skill points, alchemy, and tension are optimizable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.