head to head
vs
MessiahvsThe Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Messiah leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Lord of the Rings: War in the North leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
MessiahThe Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North leans harder on variance: Loot drops roll randomly across runs
Optimization6 vs 5
Messiah leans harder on optimization: Choosing which body to possess for each obstacle is the puzzle
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.