head to head
vs
I Wanna Be the GuyvsKatana ZERO
I Wanna Be the Guy leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Katana ZERO leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
I Wanna Be the GuyKatana ZERO
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
I Wanna Be the Guy leans harder on execution: Frame-tight jumps through sadistic trap gauntlets
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 1
I Wanna Be the Guy leans harder on variance: Traps surprise once, then are known
Optimization6 vs 6
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.