Building comparison
head to head
Metal SlugvsSuper Mario Bros.
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Metal Slug
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting layered over memorised arcade stage routes.
Super Mario Bros.
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Pure jump timing over fully fixed, memorisable levels.
Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Mario Bros. leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Metal SlugSuper Mario Bros.
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
Super Mario Bros.
Perfect inputs trivialise momentum jumps over fixed hazards
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
Super Mario Bros.
Goombas walk left forever - nothing to predict
Variance1 vs 0
Metal Slug leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Metal Slug
Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Super Mario Bros.
Every level is identical on every run
Optimization6 vs 5
Metal Slug leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Metal Slug
One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
Super Mario Bros.
Level memorisation and warp routing are fully solvable
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.