head to head
vs
Pony IslandvsThe Beast Inside
Pony Island leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Beast Inside leans Variance (Systems & Chaos).
Pony IslandThe Beast Inside
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
The Beast Inside leans harder on variance: Scares and story turns are unknown on a first playthrough
Optimization5 vs 4
Pony Island leans harder on optimization: Code-tinkering puzzles have fixed discoverable solutions
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.