Building comparison
head to head
Dragon's LairvsSuper Metroid
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Dragon's Lair
Optimization · Practiced Mastery
The laserdisc classic that is purely memorising timed inputs.
Super Metroid
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Movement execution and route optimisation through a fixed, mappable planet.
Dragon's Lair leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Super Metroid leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Dragon's LairSuper Metroid
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 7
Super Metroid leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Dragon's Lair
Split-second inputs on strict timing windows
Super Metroid
Wall-jumps, shinesparks and boss dodges demand precise inputs
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dragon's Lair
Every scene is pre-animated
Super Metroid
Bosses cycle fixed patterns, never adapting
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dragon's Lair
Unknown prompts only until memorised
Super Metroid
Item and route knowledge is fixed once discovered
Optimization8 vs 7
Dragon's Lair leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Dragon's Lair
The entire game is one memorisable input sequence
Super Metroid
Sequence-breaking route optimisation is the enduring meta-game
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.