Building comparison
head to head
Europa Universalis IVvsPortal 2
Europa Universalis IV asks more than Portal 2, and the gap is reads.
Europa Universalis IV
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Map-painting grand strategy ruled by mana and idea optimization.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Europa Universalis IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Europa Universalis IVPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Portal 2 leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Europa Universalis IV
pausable, no twitch
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Reads3 vs 0
Europa Universalis IV leans clearly harder on reads.
Europa Universalis IV
AI mostly scripted, some MP
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance3 vs 0
Europa Universalis IV leans clearly harder on variance.
Europa Universalis IV
events, mission paths
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization9 vs 9
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Europa Universalis IV
idea groups, economy, mana spending
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.