head to head
vs
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarvsOnce Human
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Once Human leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarOnce Human
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 0
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans harder on reads: Nemesis system mimics adaptation but follows knowable rules
Variance4 vs 5
Once Human leans harder on variance: Deviant spawn composition and loot tables carry meaningful randomness
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.