head to head
Ghosts 'n GoblinsvsRaiden II
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Raiden II leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Ghosts 'n GoblinsRaiden II
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Raiden II leans harder on variance: Item and spawn timing minor and learnable
Optimization6 vs 5
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans harder on optimization: Weapon choice and route memorisation are mandatory
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

