head to head
vs
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingvsShakes and Fidget
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shakes and Fidget leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingShakes and Fidget
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
Shakes and Fidget leans harder on variance: Quest rewards and item rolls are random
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.