Building comparison
head to head
Escape from Monkey IslandvsThe Dig
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Escape from Monkey Island
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A comedic point-and-click adventure of pirate puzzles with fixed solutions.
The Dig
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A LucasArts sci-fi adventure where astronauts stranded on an alien world puzzle out its dead civilization.
Escape from Monkey Island leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Dig leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Escape from Monkey IslandThe Dig
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Escape from Monkey Island leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Escape from Monkey Island
Pointing and walking only
The Dig
Point-and-click; no reflex demands.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Escape from Monkey Island
No opponent
The Dig
Alien world is static; companions follow scripts.
Variance2 vs 3
The Dig leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Escape from Monkey Island
Puzzle solutions hidden until discovered
The Dig
Alien machinery's purpose is hidden until experimented with.
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Escape from Monkey Island
Once known, every puzzle has one fixed answer
The Dig
Machine puzzles have single fixed solutions to deduce.
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.