head to head
vs
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarvsMoonlighter
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Moonlighter leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarMoonlighter
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 4
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans harder on execution: Same counter-heavy combat as its predecessor
Reads1 vs 0
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans harder on reads: Nemesis system mimics adaptation but follows knowable rules
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.