Building comparison
head to head
Nine SolsvsOri and the Will of the Wisps
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Nine Sols
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Taopunk metroidvania whose parry-centric boss fights channel Sekiro in 2D.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A more combat-forward sequel with sharper platforming demands.
Nine Sols leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Ori and the Will of the Wisps leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Nine SolsOri and the Will of the Wisps
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
Nine Sols leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Nine Sols
Sekiro-style parry timing is the entire combat test
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Combat plus escape chases demand tight inputs
Reads1 vs 1
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nine Sols
Bosses follow learnable scripts
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Scripted bosses, no human opponent
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nine Sols
Deterministic authored world
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Deterministic encounters
Optimization6 vs 5
Nine Sols leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Nine Sols
Moveset study, talismans, and route knowledge
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Shard loadouts and weapon choice tune playstyle
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.