Building comparison
head to head
PortalvsThe Inner World
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Portal demands more execution; The Inner World demands more variance.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
The Inner World
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Classic item-combination puzzle solving in a hand-drawn world.
Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Inner World leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
PortalThe Inner World
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 0
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
The Inner World
Pointing and clicking, 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
No adversary modeling player.
The Inner World
Asposia's characters are scripted
Variance0 vs 2
The Inner World leans clearly harder on variance.
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
The Inner World
Puzzle states hidden until explored, then fixed
Optimization8 vs 6
Portal leans clearly harder on optimization.
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
The Inner World
Combining items through fixed puzzle logic is the game
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.