head to head
vs
Horizon Zero DawnvsWillow
Horizon Zero Dawn leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Willow leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Horizon Zero DawnWillow
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 6
Willow leans harder on execution: Sword timing against tough enemies demands careful play
Reads1 vs 0
Horizon Zero Dawn leans harder on reads: Machines follow fixed patterns, not adapting.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 5
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.