head to head
vs
Metal Slug 5vsRhythm Heaven
Metal Slug 5 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Rhythm Heaven leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Metal Slug 5Rhythm Heaven
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 1
Metal Slug 5 leans harder on variance: minor drop and spawn randomness
Optimization3 vs 2
Metal Slug 5 leans harder on optimization: weapon pickup and route memorization
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.