head to head

Nier: Automata cover artvsThe Dishwasher: Dead Samurai cover art

Nier: AutomatavsThe Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

Nier: Automata leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).

EXECUTION8 /10READS1 /10VARIANCE2 /10OPTIMIZATION6 /10
Nier: AutomataThe Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

Axis by axis

Execution8 vs 8

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads1 vs 1

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance2 vs 2

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization6 vs 5

Nier: Automata leans harder on optimization: Chip loadout, weapon choice, and attack routing reward systematic planning

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Nier: Automata

full breakdown

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai