head to head
vs
Pony IslandvsThe Quarry
Pony Island leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Quarry leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Pony IslandThe Quarry
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
Pony Island leans harder on execution: Light arcade hopping segments with low demands
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
The Quarry leans harder on variance: Hidden branch logic surprises until paths are mapped
Optimization5 vs 5
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.