head to head
vs
Dragon QuestvsDungeon Siege
Dragon Quest leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Dungeon Siege leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dragon QuestDungeon Siege
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Dungeon Siege leans harder on execution: Combat mostly resolves itself
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 6
Dragon Quest leans harder on optimization: Grind thresholds and routes are fully solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.