Building comparison
head to head
Hobo: Tough LifevsPlants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Hobo: Tough Life
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A survival RPG testing resource management and city knowledge against the coming winter.
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Lane-defense economy optimization against semi-randomised zombie waves.
Hobo: Tough Life leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Hobo: Tough LifePlants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Hobo: Tough Life
Survival is menus and walking, not reflexes
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Tapping plants quickly only matters in surge moments
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Hobo: Tough Life
NPCs run static dispositions, not adaptive minds
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Zombie waves are announced patterns, not minds
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Hobo: Tough Life
Weather, NPC moods and scavenging rolls pressure plans
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Wave compositions and plant-food drops add per-level randomness
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Hobo: Tough Life
Managing hunger, money and winter prep is the real game
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Lawn economy and plant placement are the solvable core
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.