head to head
vs
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of DoomvsSunset Riders
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Sunset Riders leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of DoomSunset Riders
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom leans harder on execution: brutally precise platforming and combat timing
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization3 vs 4
Sunset Riders leans harder on optimization: Pattern memorisation for one-credit clears is the meta-game
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.