Building comparison
head to head
DREDGEvsStarbound
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
DREDGE
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
A cosy-eldritch fishing game about hauling secrets from dark water.
Starbound
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A 2D sandbox of procedurally generated planets driven by crafting progression.
DREDGE leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Starbound leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
DREDGEStarbound
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Starbound leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
DREDGE
Fishing minigames and night dodging, light demands
Starbound
Light platforming and combat, generous margins
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
DREDGE
Horrors follow fixed rules
Starbound
Procedural NPCs follow simple fixed behaviours
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
DREDGE
Fish spawns and fog-of-dread unknowns until mapped
Starbound
Procedural planets and loot keep early exploration unknown
Optimization6 vs 7
Starbound leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
DREDGE
Cargo tetris, routes, and upgrades reward planning
Starbound
Gear tiers, farming, and progression routes dominate
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.