head to head
vs
Metroid: Zero MissionvsTomb Raider
Metroid: Zero Mission leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Tomb Raider leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Metroid: Zero MissionTomb Raider
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 5
Metroid: Zero Mission leans harder on execution: polished 2D movement plus a stealth finale
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
Tomb Raider leans harder on optimization: Levels are spatial puzzles with solvable routes
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.