Building comparison
head to head
Mad FathervsThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Mad Father
Optimization · Systems & Chaos
A scripted RPG-Maker horror testing puzzle-solving and route knowledge.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Optimization · Light / Casual
A gorgeous first-person mystery about piecing together a boy's disappearance.
Mad Father leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); The Vanishing of Ethan Carter leans Optimization (Light / Casual).
Mad FatherThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mad Father
Light chase sequences barely test the hands
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Walking and looking, nothing more
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mad Father
Scripted horror events, nothing adapts
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
No opponent
Variance3 vs 2
Mad Father leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Mad Father
Scares and puzzle items are unknown on first playthrough
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The mystery is hidden only until discovered
Optimization4 vs 3
Mad Father leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Mad Father
Item puzzles and ending routes are fully mappable
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Reconstructing event sequences is light deduction
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.