head to head
vs
Hot LavavsMetal Slug
Hot Lava leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Hot LavaMetal Slug
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance0 vs 1
Metal Slug leans harder on variance: Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Optimization5 vs 6
Metal Slug leans harder on optimization: One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.