head to head
vs
Monsters vs. AliensvsShovel Knight
Monsters vs. Aliens leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Shovel Knight leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Monsters vs. AliensShovel Knight
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 1
Monsters vs. Aliens leans harder on variance: Little randomness in fixed level design
Optimization3 vs 4
Shovel Knight leans harder on optimization: Relic and upgrade choices shape runs
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.