Building comparison
head to head
Ghosts 'n GoblinsvsMetal Slug 3
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Capcom's infamously punishing arcade platformer that makes you beat it twice for the real ending.
Metal Slug 3
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Arcade run-and-gun whose one-credit clears demand total spawn memorization and twitch.
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Metal Slug 3 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Ghosts 'n GoblinsMetal Slug 3
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Committed jumps and pixel-precise throws, no mercy
Metal Slug 3
one-hit deaths demand frame-level dodging and aim
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Enemy spawns are scripted
Metal Slug 3
every enemy wave is scripted
Variance1 vs 2
Metal Slug 3 leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Red Arremer movement adds slight noise
Metal Slug 3
branching paths vary runs slightly
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Weapon choice and route memorisation are mandatory
Metal Slug 3
memorizing spawns is the path to a one-credit clear
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.