Building comparison
head to head
New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxevsOctodad: Dadliest Catch
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A classic 2D Mario platformer rewarding tight jump execution above all.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A physics comedy about an octopus in a suit flailing through fatherhood without blowing his cover.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Octodad: Dadliest Catch leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeOctodad: Dadliest Catch
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
precise jump and platforming execution
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Deliberately clumsy limb controls are the whole challenge
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
fixed enemy patterns, no adaptation
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
No opponents, just suspicion meters
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
minor enemy placement randomness
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Physics wobble adds slapstick unpredictability
Optimization3 vs 3
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
level routing for speed/collectibles
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Simple objectives, little system depth
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.