head to head
vs
Painkiller (2004)vsSmash TV
Painkiller (2004) leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Smash TV leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Painkiller (2004)Smash TV
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 9
Smash TV leans harder on execution: Twin-stick aim and dodging through swarming arenas is everything.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 4
Painkiller (2004) leans harder on optimization: Tarot card selection and level routing provide a thin solvable layer
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.