head to head
vs
Outer WildsvsQuadrilateral Cowboy
Outer Wilds leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Quadrilateral Cowboy leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Outer WildsQuadrilateral Cowboy
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 0
Outer Wilds leans harder on variance: Loop is deterministic once understood
Optimization9 vs 8
Outer Wilds leans harder on optimization: Pure knowledge puzzle - solve the system
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.