Building comparison
head to head
F-ZerovsSuper Mario World
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
F-Zero
Execution · Pure Mechanics
The SNES racer that made survival at extreme speed the entire test.
Super Mario World
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Precise jump execution across fixed levels with secrets to memorise.
F-Zero leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Super Mario World leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
F-ZeroSuper Mario World
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
F-Zero leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
F-Zero
Tight cornering at speed with punishing walls
Super Mario World
Perfect inputs trivialise every jump, spin and cape flight
Reads1 vs 0
F-Zero leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
F-Zero
AI racers don't adapt
Super Mario World
Scripted Koopas adapt to nothing
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
F-Zero
Fixed tracks
Super Mario World
Levels are fixed; nothing hidden survives one playthrough
Optimization4 vs 4
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
F-Zero
Boost timing and racing lines converge
Super Mario World
Secret exits and route knowledge add a modest solvable layer
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.