Building comparison
head to head
EarthBoundvsPaper Lily: Chapter 1
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.
EarthBound
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A subversive JRPG where understanding rolling HP mechanics and PSI optimization defeats its quirky scripted encounters.
Paper Lily: Chapter 1
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
A scripted horror adventure that tests puzzle-solving and route knowledge, not nerves alone.
EarthBound leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Paper Lily: Chapter 1 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
EarthBoundPaper Lily: Chapter 1
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
EarthBound
Rolling HP meter has very mild timing implication
Paper Lily: Chapter 1
Light chase sequences are the only dexterity demand
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
EarthBound
All enemies scripted with fixed attack patterns
Paper Lily: Chapter 1
Scripted encounters with no adaptive adversary
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
EarthBound
PSI randomness, enemy attack variety, and encounter triggers add unpredictability
Paper Lily: Chapter 1
Unknown puzzle solutions and surprises until the route is learned
Optimization7 vs 6
EarthBound leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
EarthBound
Status effects, rolling HP strategy, and Franklin Badge usage are solvable
Paper Lily: Chapter 1
Solving puzzles and finding the correct paths is the 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.