head to head
SoulCalibur III asks more than Nidhogg 2, and the gap is optimization.

Reads · Competitive PvP
Grotesque sequel keeping the fencing mind-game core with extra weapons.

Execution · Competitive PvP
Weapon-based dueling testing spacing execution and mixup prediction against humans.
Nidhogg 2 leans Reads (Competitive PvP); SoulCalibur III leans Execution (Competitive PvP).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nidhogg 2
Multiple weapons add execution wrinkles
SoulCalibur III
Spacing, movement and just-frame timing demand real hands
Nidhogg 2 leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Nidhogg 2
Still a pure human mind-game duel
SoulCalibur III
Versus humans, conditioning and throw-mixup guessing decides rounds
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nidhogg 2
Weapon spawns vary slightly
SoulCalibur III
Deterministic combat with nothing hidden
SoulCalibur III leans clearly harder on optimization.
Nidhogg 2
Light matchup knowledge per weapon
SoulCalibur III
Frame data, matchup study and stage knowledge run deep
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.