head to head
vs
Hand of FatevsS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Hand of Fate leans Variance (Systems & Chaos); S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl leans Execution (Twitch Chaos).
Hand of FateS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 6
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl leans harder on execution: Lethal gunfights with recoil, bleed, and ballistics punish sloppy aim
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance7 vs 6
Hand of Fate leans harder on variance: Card table randomness and hidden encounter outcomes drive runs
Optimization6 vs 6
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.