head to head
vs
Horizon Forbidden WestvsStarfield
Horizon Forbidden West leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Starfield leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Horizon Forbidden WestStarfield
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Starfield leans harder on variance: Procedural planets, loot variance
Optimization6 vs 7
Starfield leans harder on optimization: Ship building, outpost, perk routing
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.