head to head
vs
Emily Wants to PlayvsThe Banner Saga
Emily Wants to Play leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); The Banner Saga leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Emily Wants to PlayThe Banner Saga
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
Emily Wants to Play leans harder on execution: Reacting correctly to each doll under pressure takes some nerve
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance5 vs 5
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
The Banner Saga leans harder on optimization: Willpower economy and armor-strip sequencing are learnable solutions
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.