Building comparison
head to head
Heroes of Might and Magic VvsPortal
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Heroes of Might and Magic V demands more variance; Portal demands more execution.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Optimization · Pure Optimization
3D revival of the classic turn-based strategy formula with deep faction skill trees.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Heroes of Might and Magic V leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Heroes of Might and Magic VPortal
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 4
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
No dexterity component
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Reads3 vs 0
Heroes of Might and Magic V leans clearly harder on reads.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Only human opponents adapt
Portal
No adversary modeling player.
Variance4 vs 0
Heroes of Might and Magic V leans clearly harder on variance.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Fog of war, skill rolls, and morale
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Optimization9 vs 8
Heroes of Might and Magic V leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Faction build orders and initiative math dominate
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
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.