head to head
vs
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingvsVoice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingVoice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
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
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars leans harder on variance: Card-flip map reveals and random encounters
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.