head to head
vs
Mario Bros.vsShock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Mario Bros. leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Mario Bros.Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 8
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad leans harder on execution: Aiming, dodging, and movement decide top-down combat
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad leans harder on variance: Enemy spawn placement adds momentary surprise
Optimization4 vs 4
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.