head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Methodically scanning scenes and solving stock puzzles through a pirate story.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Uncovering a fixed murder mystery through inventory puzzles and deduction.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Still Life leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Clicking hidden objects has no physical ceiling
Still Life
Pointing and clicking carries no physical demand
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
Still Life
The killer is a fixed narrative, not an adapting opponent
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Object locations are unknown information until spotted
Still Life
The mystery's facts are hidden until uncovered
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones
Scene-scanning and puzzle logic converge to a checklist
Still Life
Inventory puzzles and deduction steps have fixed solutions
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.