head to head
vs
Ori and the Blind ForestvsSonic Mania
Ori and the Blind Forest leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Sonic Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Ori and the Blind ForestSonic Mania
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Sonic Mania leans harder on variance: Mostly deterministic with hidden routes
Optimization4 vs 5
Sonic Mania leans harder on optimization: Route knowledge dominates speedruns
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.