Building comparison
head to head
Metal SlugvsSalamander
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Metal Slug
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting layered over memorised arcade stage routes.
Salamander
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Arcade shmup reflexes welded to frame-perfect stage memorisation.
Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Salamander leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Metal SlugSalamander
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
Dodging dense bullet patterns and precise shots carry every credit
Salamander
Bullet weaving and terrain dodging at arcade pace
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
Enemies follow fixed arcade scripts, never adapt
Salamander
Enemy waves are scripted to the frame
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Salamander
Identical attract-mode determinism every credit
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
Salamander
Memorising stage layouts and power-up routes is survival
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.