head to head
vs
Icewind DalevsRogue Tower
Icewind Dale leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Rogue Tower leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Icewind DaleRogue Tower
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 5
Rogue Tower leans harder on variance: Random path expansion and card draws reshape each run
Optimization8 vs 8
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.