head to head
vs
Metal Slug 5vsThumper
Metal Slug 5 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Thumper leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Metal Slug 5Thumper
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 4
Thumper leans harder on optimization: Memorizing patterns and scoring lines helps mastery
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.