Building comparison
head to head
Painkiller (2004)vsSuper Mario World
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Painkiller (2004)
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A relentless wave-clearing shooter that tests sustained aim and movement against massive scripted enemy crowds.
Super Mario World
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Precise jump execution across fixed levels with secrets to memorise.
Painkiller (2004) leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Super Mario World leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Painkiller (2004)Super Mario World
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Painkiller (2004) leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Painkiller (2004)
Constant crowd-control movement against overwhelming enemy counts demands fast aim
Super Mario World
Perfect inputs trivialise every jump, spin and cape flight
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Painkiller (2004)
All enemies are scripted waves with fixed attack patterns
Super Mario World
Scripted Koopas adapt to nothing
Variance2 vs 1
Painkiller (2004) leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Painkiller (2004)
Enemy counts and placements are fixed with minimal unknown elements
Super Mario World
Levels are fixed; nothing hidden survives one playthrough
Optimization5 vs 4
Painkiller (2004) leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Painkiller (2004)
Tarot card selection and level routing provide a thin solvable layer
Super Mario World
Secret exits and route knowledge add a modest solvable layer
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.