Building comparison
head to head
Punch ClubvsShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Punch Club
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Scheduling training, decay and skill counters in a solvable management loop.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Exploiting the press-turn system through demon fusion and weakness math.
Punch Club leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Punch ClubShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Punch Club
Fights resolve automatically; you never throw a punch
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Turn-based menus carry zero dexterity demands
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Punch Club
Opponents are stat blocks with fixed styles, not minds
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Brutal bosses still run fixed scripts
Variance3 vs 3
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Punch Club
Fight dice rolls and event pop-ups add noise
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Unknown boss gimmicks and fusion luck sting first attempts
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Punch Club
Stat decay scheduling and skill-tree counters are the entire game
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Press-turn exploitation and fusion planning decide everything
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.