head to head
vs
Overboard!vsSam & Max: Hit the Road
Overboard! leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Sam & Max: Hit the Road leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Overboard!Sam & Max: Hit the Road
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Sam & Max: Hit the Road leans harder on execution: Cursor-driven; no reflexes tested at any point
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Overboard! leans harder on variance: Hidden story branches only until replays map them.
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.