head to head
vs
MDKvsSheepy: A Short Adventure
MDK leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sheepy: A Short Adventure leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
MDKSheepy: A Short Adventure
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 0
MDK leans harder on variance: Levels are authored with nothing random
Optimization4 vs 3
MDK leans harder on optimization: Learning arena gimmicks and item use solves each level
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.