Building comparison
head to head
Portal 2vsStacking
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Portal 2 demands more optimization; Stacking demands more variance.
Portal 2
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person puzzle game where seeing the solution is the whole skill.
Stacking
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Experimenting with doll abilities to uncover multiple solutions to fixed puzzles.
Portal 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stacking leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Portal 2Stacking
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 1
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on execution.
Portal 2
Portal placement requires some precision but timing is lenient.
Stacking
Hopping between dolls requires no dexterity
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Portal 2
No opponent; puzzles are static.
Stacking
Puzzle NPCs are static props, not minds
Variance0 vs 2
Stacking leans clearly harder on variance.
Portal 2
Puzzles are deterministic with no randomness.
Stacking
Doll abilities are hidden until tried once
Optimization9 vs 5
Portal 2 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Portal 2
Solving the puzzle's logic IS the entire game.
Stacking
Finding every solution per puzzle is the real challenge
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.