Building comparison
head to head
GemCraftvsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. GemCraft demands more variance; Portal demands more execution.
GemCraft
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A tower defense game about engineering optimal gem combinations against scripted waves.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
GemCraft leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
GemCraftPortal
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 4
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
GemCraft
Placing gems and towers has no twitch demand
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
GemCraft
Monster waves are scripted, never adapting to player
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance2 vs 0
GemCraft leans clearly harder on variance.
GemCraft
Wave composition is fixed once a level is known
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization9 vs 8
GemCraft leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
GemCraft
Combining gems for optimal tower output is the entire game
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
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.