head to head
vs
Mario Kart 8 DeluxevsReturnal
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe leans Execution (Twitch Chaos); Returnal leans Execution (Twitch Chaos).
Mario Kart 8 DeluxeReturnal
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 8
Returnal leans harder on execution: Bullet-hell dodge and aim under pressure
Reads3 vs 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe leans harder on reads: Human racers bait and block items but mostly reactive.
Variance6 vs 7
Returnal leans harder on variance: Room layouts, parasites, items roguelike
Optimization6 vs 6
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.