Building comparison
head to head
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy JonesvsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more optimization.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Methodically scanning scenes and solving stock puzzles through a pirate story.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy JonesPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Clicking hidden objects has no physical ceiling
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.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Story villains are fully scripted
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance3 vs 0
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones leans clearly harder on variance.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Object locations are unknown information until spotted
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization6 vs 9
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Scene-scanning and puzzle logic converge to a checklist
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.