Building comparison
head to head
Ghosts 'n GoblinsvsSin and Punishment
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, 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.
Sin and Punishment
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A relentless rail shooter testing aim and dodge execution against fixed choreography.
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Sin and Punishment leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Ghosts 'n GoblinsSin and Punishment
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
Sin and Punishment
Simultaneous aiming, dodging and melee at relentless pace
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
Sin and Punishment
Everything on rails is scripted, nothing adapts
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Red Arremer movement adds slight noise
Sin and Punishment
Fixed enemy choreography every run
Optimization6 vs 5
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Weapon choice and route memorisation are mandatory
Sin and Punishment
Scoring routes and boss patterns are memorisable
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.