Building comparison
head to head
Final Fantasy XIIvsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Final Fantasy XII demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more execution.
Final Fantasy XII
Optimization · Pure Optimization
JRPG where you program party AI through its gambit system.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Final Fantasy XII leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Final Fantasy XIIPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Final Fantasy XII
Gambits automate combat away from the hands
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Final Fantasy XII
Enemy AI is fixed and exploitable
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance2 vs 0
Final Fantasy XII leans clearly harder on variance.
Final Fantasy XII
Rare spawns and drop RNG
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization8 vs 9
Portal 2 leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Final Fantasy XII
Programming gambit logic IS the gameplay
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.