Building comparison
head to head
MoonlightervsStarbound
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Moonlighter
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Roguelite about raiding dungeons by night and pricing the loot in your shop by day.
Starbound
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A 2D sandbox of procedurally generated planets driven by crafting progression.
Moonlighter leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Starbound leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
MoonlighterStarbound
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Moonlighter leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Moonlighter
Dodge-heavy dungeon combat
Starbound
Light platforming and combat, generous margins
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Moonlighter
Enemies are scripted patterns
Starbound
Procedural NPCs follow simple fixed behaviours
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Moonlighter
Random dungeon layouts and loot rolls
Starbound
Procedural planets and loot keep early exploration unknown
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Moonlighter
Price discovery and shop economy are the real game
Starbound
Gear tiers, farming, and progression routes dominate
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.