head to head
Fire Emblem: AwakeningvsNieR Re[in]carnation
Fire Emblem: Awakening leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); NieR Re[in]carnation leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Fire Emblem: AwakeningNieR Re[in]carnation
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance5 vs 4
Fire Emblem: Awakening leans harder on variance: Hit and crit rates plus random level-up stats create run variance
Optimization8 vs 7
Fire Emblem: Awakening leans harder on optimization: Marriage pairings and Second Seal reclass chains are the optimization spine
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

![NieR Re[in]carnation cover art](https://images.igdb.com/igdb/image/upload/t_cover_big/co7bm4.jpg)