head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
An RPG where programming automated gambit systems and optimizing builds is the true skill test.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Scheduling training, decay and skill counters in a solvable management loop.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Punch Club leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
no real-time physical skill, gambit-automated
Punch Club
Fights resolve automatically; you never throw a punch
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
no adaptive opponents, scripted encounters
Punch Club
Opponents are stat blocks with fixed styles, not minds
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
loot and encounter randomness present
Punch Club
Fight dice rolls and event pop-ups add noise
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
gambit and job builds are near-solvable
Punch Club
Stat decay scheduling and skill-tree counters are 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.