head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Variance · Light / Casual
A sci-fi mystery visual novel where survivors trapped in an underwater park unravel a layered truth.

Optimization · Light / Casual
Short narrative horror about a doomed freighter crew told in fractured time.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity leans Variance (Light / Casual); Mouthwashing leans Optimization (Light / Casual).
Mouthwashing leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity
Reading only, no inputs of skill
Mouthwashing
Walking and simple interactions
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity
No adaptive opposition
Mouthwashing
No opposition; it is a story
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity
Hidden narrative truth and locked routes drive first-run mystery
Mouthwashing
Narrative surprises only on first viewing
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ever 17: The Out of Infinity
Flag and route ordering to unlock the true ending
Mouthwashing
Light puzzles guide a fixed story
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.