Building comparison
head to head
Heroes of Might and Magic VvsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Heroes of Might and Magic V demands more variance; Portal 2 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 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Heroes of Might and Magic V leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Heroes of Might and Magic VPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
No dexterity component
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
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 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
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 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization9 vs 9
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
Faction build orders and initiative math dominate
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire game.
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.