head to head
vs
MetroidvsMetroid Fusion
Metroid leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Metroid Fusion leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
MetroidMetroid Fusion
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 6
Metroid Fusion leans harder on execution: demanding bosses for a 2D Metroid
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Metroid leans harder on variance: unmarked secrets and bombable blocks hide the map
Optimization6 vs 6
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.