Building comparison
head to head
Earthworm Jim 2vsPocky & Rocky
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Earthworm Jim 2
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Sequel platformer that swaps genres per level but always tests the hands.
Pocky & Rocky
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Dense top-down bullet-dodging that rewards memorised stage routes.
Earthworm Jim 2 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Pocky & Rocky leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Earthworm Jim 2Pocky & Rocky
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 8
Pocky & Rocky leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Earthworm Jim 2
Varied set-piece levels demand precise control
Pocky & Rocky
Dodging dense bullet patterns while aiming is everything
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Earthworm Jim 2
No adaptive opposition
Pocky & Rocky
Enemy waves and bosses are fully scripted
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Earthworm Jim 2
Deterministic levels and gimmicks
Pocky & Rocky
Spawns are fixed per stage
Optimization5 vs 4
Earthworm Jim 2 leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Earthworm Jim 2
Learning each surreal level's fixed solution
Pocky & Rocky
Memorising waves and managing slide-dodges optimises clears
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.