Building comparison
head to head
PortalvsSupermarket Simulator
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Portal demands more execution; Supermarket Simulator demands more variance.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Supermarket Simulator
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A first-person shop management sim about stocking shelves, setting prices and growing a small supermarket.
Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Supermarket Simulator leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
PortalSupermarket Simulator
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 2
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Supermarket Simulator
Stocking and checkout are light manual busywork.
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
No adversary modeling player.
Supermarket Simulator
Customers follow simple scripted demand.
Variance0 vs 2
Supermarket Simulator leans clearly harder on variance.
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Supermarket Simulator
Daily customer flow varies a little.
Optimization8 vs 7
Portal leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
Supermarket Simulator
Pricing margins, ordering and shelf layout drive growth.
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.