head to head

Pepper Grinder cover artvsSuper Mario 64 cover art

Pepper GrindervsSuper Mario 64

Pepper Grinder leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Super Mario 64 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).

EXECUTION7 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE0 /10OPTIMIZATION4 /10
Pepper GrinderSuper Mario 64

Axis by axis

Execution7 vs 7

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance0 vs 1

Super Mario 64 leans harder on variance: Star locations and level layouts are fixed once seen

Optimization4 vs 5

Super Mario 64 leans harder on optimization: Star routing and movement tech form a deep 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.

full breakdown

Pepper Grinder

full breakdown

Super Mario 64