Building comparison
head to head
Nine SolsvsSuper Mario Galaxy 2
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.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A 3D platformer about precise gravity-bending jumps through fixed galaxies.
Nine Sols leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Super Mario Galaxy 2 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Nine SolsSuper Mario Galaxy 2
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
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Precise jumps and gravity navigation define every galaxy
Reads1 vs 0
Nine Sols leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Nine Sols
Bosses follow learnable scripts
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Bosses are scripted patterns, not adapting to you
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
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Levels are deterministic, nothing random
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Nine Sols
Moveset study, talismans, and route knowledge
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Learning fixed layouts and routes for stars
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.