head to head
vs
God of WarvsThe Last of Us
God of War leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Last of Us leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
God of WarThe Last of Us
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 5
God of War leans harder on execution: Combo timing, dodges, and QTEs set the bar
Reads0 vs 1
The Last of Us leans harder on reads: Enemy AI searches but follows mappable routines
Variance1 vs 2
The Last of Us leans harder on variance: Encounter layouts unknown first time only
Optimization6 vs 5
God of War leans harder on optimization: Learning movesets, upgrades, and puzzles is the other half
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.