Building comparison
head to head
MystvsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Myst demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more execution.
Myst
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Landmark first-person puzzle adventure solved by careful observation and note-taking.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Myst leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
MystPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Myst
Clicking through static scenes
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Myst
No adversary at all
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance3 vs 0
Myst leans clearly harder on variance.
Myst
Clues hidden until found, then fixed forever
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization7 vs 9
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Myst
Observation-driven logic puzzles with deterministic solutions
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire game.
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.