Building comparison
head to head
Empire: Total WarvsThere Came an Echo
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.
Empire: Total War
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Gunpowder-era Total War blending empire management with line battles.
There Came an Echo
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A voice-controlled tactics game testing command planning and unit positioning.
Empire: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); There Came an Echo leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Empire: Total WarThere Came an Echo
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.
Empire: Total War
Real-time battle micro is modest
There Came an Echo
Voice commands need no physical dexterity
Reads3 vs 3
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Empire: Total War
Multiplayer line-battle feints exist
There Came an Echo
Enemy AI scripted, allows limited prediction only
Variance3 vs 3
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Empire: Total War
Campaign AI and battle dice noise
There Came an Echo
Voice recognition and combat add some unpredictability
Optimization8 vs 7
Empire: Total War leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Empire: Total War
Campaign economy and line-infantry tactics are mappable
There Came an Echo
Issuing positioning and timing commands wins encounters
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.