head to head
vs
Heavy RainvsRiverbond
Heavy Rain leans Execution (Light / Casual); Riverbond leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Heavy RainRiverbond
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
Riverbond leans harder on execution: Hack-and-slash combat needs light timing and aim
Reads0 vs 1
Riverbond leans harder on reads: Enemies are scripted, no adaptive opponent
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization3 vs 3
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.