head to head

Mario vs. Donkey Kong cover artvsSteamWorld Dig 2 cover art

Mario vs. Donkey KongvsSteamWorld Dig 2

Mario vs. Donkey Kong leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); SteamWorld Dig 2 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).

EXECUTION5 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10
Mario vs. Donkey KongSteamWorld Dig 2

Axis by axis

Execution5 vs 5

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 1

SteamWorld Dig 2 leans harder on reads: Scripted enemies only

Variance1 vs 2

SteamWorld Dig 2 leans harder on variance: Procedural ore pockets add mild run-to-run unknowns

Optimization7 vs 7

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.

full breakdown

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

full breakdown

SteamWorld Dig 2