Building comparison
head to head
New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxevsSkater XL
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A classic 2D Mario platformer rewarding tight jump execution above all.
Skater XL
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Pure motor control - landing physics-driven tricks with no assists.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Skater XL leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeSkater XL
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
precise jump and platforming execution
Skater XL
Dual-stick physics tricks demand real motor precision
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
Skater XL
No opponent in a sandbox
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
Skater XL
Physics are deterministic; spots are fixed
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
Skater XL
Line planning and trick selection sit under the hands
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.