head to head
vs
Killer Is DeadvsShank
Killer Is Dead leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Shank leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Killer Is DeadShank
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 7
Shank leans harder on execution: Combo juggling and dodge timing carry every brawl
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization4 vs 3
Killer Is Dead leans harder on optimization: Upgrade choices and boss pattern learning
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.