head to head
vs
Lufia & the Fortress of DoomvsStardew Valley
Lufia & the Fortress of Doom leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stardew Valley leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Lufia & the Fortress of DoomStardew Valley
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Stardew Valley leans harder on execution: Trivial timing on fishing and combat
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 8
Stardew Valley leans harder on optimization: Routing seasons, profit loops, and bundles dominates
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.