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.

Execution · Practiced Mastery
A cinematic open-world western leaning on shooting feel and atmosphere.
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Aiming under pressure while learning fixed demon patterns and light-versus-dark puzzle rules.
Red Dead Redemption 2 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Shadows of the Damned leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Shadows of the Damned leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Gunplay and Dead Eye reward aim and timing.
Shadows of the Damned
Third-person aim and dodge timing carry every demon fight
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Enemies use scripted AI patterns, not adaptation.
Shadows of the Damned
Demons and bosses run fixed patterns, nothing adapts
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Some hunting and weather randomness, lightly hidden.
Shadows of the Damned
Encounters are scripted; little randomness once seen
Shadows of the Damned leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Loadouts and routes solvable but loose.
Shadows of the Damned
Learning boss patterns and light-dark mechanics solves each fight
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.