head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Authored logic puzzles and contradiction hunting with zero execution demand.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
A studio-management economy puzzle dressed up as Hollywood moviemaking.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Movies leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
The Movies leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Tapping answers has no physical component
The Movies
Menu and drag management, no dexterity test
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Witnesses are scripted, contradictions are authored
The Movies
No adaptive rival studios to outwit
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Testimony twists are hidden until revealed, then fixed
The Movies
Star moods and script rolls add light randomness
The Movies leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Logic puzzles and contradiction-spotting are fully solvable
The Movies
Studio economy, staffing and timing are the solvable core
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.