head to head
vs
Nuclear ThronevsReturnal
Nuclear Throne leans Execution (Twitch Chaos); Returnal leans Execution (Twitch Chaos).
Nuclear ThroneReturnal
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 2
Returnal leans harder on reads: Bosses scripted, patterns not adaptive
Variance6 vs 7
Returnal leans harder on variance: Room layouts, parasites, items roguelike
Optimization5 vs 6
Returnal leans harder on optimization: Build synergies and route planning
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.