Building comparison
head to head
Journey to the Savage PlanetvsShenmue
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A comedic first-person exploration romp cataloguing a candy-coloured alien planet.
Shenmue
Optimization · Practiced Mastery
Slow-burn revenge adventure built on daily routines, detective legwork, and QTEs in 1986 Yokosuka.
Journey to the Savage Planet leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Shenmue leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Journey to the Savage PlanetShenmue
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Light shooting and platforming, forgiving
Shenmue
QTEs and light brawling demand modest timing
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Creature AI is simple and scripted
Shenmue
NPCs run daily scripts; nothing adapts to you
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Some unknown creature behaviours on first contact
Shenmue
First playthrough leans on not knowing schedules and clues
Optimization5 vs 5
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Journey to the Savage Planet
Upgrade routing and scan-everything exploration
Shenmue
Clue order, NPC schedules, and move training are fully mappable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.