head to head
vs
Planet CoastervsThief: Deadly Shadows
Planet Coaster leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Thief: Deadly Shadows leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Planet CoasterThief: Deadly Shadows
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
Thief: Deadly Shadows leans harder on execution: Quiet movement and timing windows need care, not twitch
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Thief: Deadly Shadows leans harder on variance: Unknown layouts hide loot until first playthrough
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.