Building comparison
head to head
PortalvsThrough the Darkest of Times
Neither is simply harder - they are hard in different places. Portal demands more execution; Through the Darkest of Times demands more variance.
Portal
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The portal-gun puzzle game whose solutions are everything.
Through the Darkest of Times
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Risk-budgeting resistance actions against historical events and probabilistic crackdowns.
Portal leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Through the Darkest of Times leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
PortalThrough the Darkest of Times
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 0
Portal leans clearly harder on execution.
Portal
Portal placement timing modest.
Through the Darkest of Times
Turn-based planning with no physical component
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.
Through the Darkest of Times
The regime escalates on historical script, not by modelling you
Variance0 vs 4
Through the Darkest of Times leans clearly harder on variance.
Portal
Deterministic chambers; no randomness.
Through the Darkest of Times
Raids, arrests and event outcomes roll against hidden odds
Optimization8 vs 7
Portal leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Portal
Pure puzzle-solving optimization.
Through the Darkest of Times
Balancing morale, funds and member risk is a solvable system
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.