head to head
vs
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingvsZork III: The Dungeon Master
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Zork III: The Dungeon Master leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingZork III: The Dungeon Master
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
Zork III: The Dungeon Master leans harder on variance: Hidden rooms and timed events punish unmapped exploration
Optimization7 vs 8
Zork III: The Dungeon Master leans harder on optimization: Puzzle solutions and routing are fully solvable with knowledge
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.