Building comparison
head to head
Endless LegendvsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Endless Legend demands more variance; Portal demands more execution.
Endless Legend
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Fantasy 4X with strong asymmetric factions and quest paths.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Endless Legend leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Endless LegendPortal
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 4
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Endless Legend
turn-based
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads3 vs 0
Endless Legend leans clearly harder on reads.
Endless Legend
scripted AI, limited MP
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance4 vs 0
Endless Legend leans clearly harder on variance.
Endless Legend
quest and tech rolls
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Endless Legend
faction-specific yield optimization
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
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.