head to head
vs
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenvsShadow Tower: Abyss
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Shadow Tower: Abyss leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenShadow Tower: Abyss
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
Shadow Tower: Abyss leans harder on reads: Enemies are scripted, never adapting to the player
Variance2 vs 3
Shadow Tower: Abyss leans harder on variance: Hidden dungeon layout and item durability add uncertainty
Optimization7 vs 7
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.