Building comparison
head to head
KenshivsState of Decay 2
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Kenshi
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Building a faction and base from nothing in a brutal open world through layered squad and economy systems.
State of Decay 2
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
Managing a survivor community's economy and risk under permadeath randomness.
Kenshi leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); State of Decay 2 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
KenshiState of Decay 2
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.
Kenshi
Real-time squad combat has marginal positioning skill ceiling
State of Decay 2
Combat is forgiving; stealth and swings need 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.
Kenshi
Faction and bandit AI follows scripted patrol and raid logic
State of Decay 2
Zombies and hostile NPCs follow randomised scripts
Variance6 vs 5
Kenshi leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Kenshi
Bandit encounters, world states, and loot are substantially randomised
State of Decay 2
Permadeath, infestations and survivor traits randomise each community
Optimization8 vs 7
Kenshi leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Kenshi
Squad composition, base design, and skill levelling routes are deeply solvable
State of Decay 2
Base building, resource routing and survivor management drive survival
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.