head to head
vs
Dustforce DXvsMetal Slug
Dustforce DX leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Dustforce DXMetal Slug
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
Dustforce DX leans harder on execution: Frame-tight momentum chaining gates every SS rank
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance0 vs 1
Metal Slug leans harder on variance: Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Optimization6 vs 6
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.