Building comparison
head to head
Half-Life 2vsRez
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Half-Life 2
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Landmark FPS built on physics puzzles and tight gunplay.
Rez
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A synesthetic on-rails shooter where lock-on fire becomes part of the trance soundtrack.
Half-Life 2 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Rez leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Half-Life 2Rez
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 7
Rez leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Half-Life 2
Gravity gun and shooting demand precision.
Rez
Lock-on targeting in time with the beat tests aim and rhythm
Reads1 vs 0
Half-Life 2 leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Half-Life 2
Combine AI scripted, non-adaptive.
Rez
Enemy waves are entirely scripted
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Half-Life 2
Almost no randomness.
Rez
Fixed rail paths; nothing is hidden after one run
Optimization3 vs 4
Rez leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Half-Life 2
Linear progression with no builds.
Rez
Score chains and route choices reward memorized play
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.