Building comparison
head to head
Ghosts 'n GoblinsvsStar Soldier
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, 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.
Star Soldier
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting over fully memorisable enemy wave patterns.
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Star Soldier leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Ghosts 'n GoblinsStar Soldier
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
Ghosts 'n Goblins leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Committed jumps and pixel-precise throws, no mercy
Star Soldier
Dodging dense fire and rapid shooting carry every run
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
Star Soldier
Enemy waves are identical scripted formations
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
Star Soldier
Nothing random once spawn patterns are learned
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
Star Soldier
Memorising waves and power-up routes defines high scores
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.