Building comparison
head to head
Endless Space 2vsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Endless Space 2 demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more execution.
Endless Space 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Space 4X with politics and faction-specific economies.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Endless Space 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Endless Space 2Portal 2
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Endless Space 2
turn-based
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Reads3 vs 0
Endless Space 2 leans clearly harder on reads.
Endless Space 2
AI scripted, some MP
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance4 vs 0
Endless Space 2 leans clearly harder on variance.
Endless Space 2
system traits, anomalies
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization8 vs 9
Portal 2 leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Endless Space 2
economy, ships, populations solvable
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire 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.