Building comparison
head to head
Knights of the Old RepublicvsShin Megami Tensei V
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Knights of the Old Republic
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A d20 Star Wars RPG where Force power selection and alignment routing define clear optimal paths.
Shin Megami Tensei V
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Open-area SMT where essence customization and Press Turn mastery turn demons into solvable math.
Knights of the Old Republic leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shin Megami Tensei V leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Knights of the Old RepublicShin Megami Tensei V
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 1
Knights of the Old Republic leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Knights of the Old Republic
Pseudo-turn-based d20 combat removes all twitch; timing aids exist but minor
Shin Megami Tensei V
Open-field exploration, but combat is pure menus.
Reads1 vs 0
Knights of the Old Republic leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Knights of the Old Republic
All enemies follow scripted AI behaviour trees without player modelling
Shin Megami Tensei V
Magatsuhi and bosses are scripted patterns.
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Knights of the Old Republic
Loot rolls and pazaak draws provide hidden information layers
Shin Megami Tensei V
Crit and negotiation RNG add manageable noise.
Optimization9 vs 9
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Knights of the Old Republic
Force power selection, feat prerequisites and light/dark routing are systematically solvable
Shin Megami Tensei V
Essence fusion and Press Turn builds reward perfect planning.
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.