Building comparison
head to head
Old WorldvsPortal 2
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Old World demands more variance; Portal 2 demands more execution.
Old World
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Classical 4X with dynastic events and order economy.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Old World leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Old WorldPortal 2
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Old World
turn-based, no twitch
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Reads3 vs 0
Old World leans clearly harder on reads.
Old World
AI scripted, some MP
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Variance4 vs 0
Old World leans clearly harder on variance.
Old World
event cards, character traits
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Optimization8 vs 9
Portal 2 leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Old World
orders, families, tech routing
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire game.
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.