head to head
vs
Return of the TentaclevsThe Cat Lady
Return of the Tentacle leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Cat Lady leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Return of the TentacleThe Cat Lady
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Return of the Tentacle leans harder on variance: Solutions are scripted-but-unknown until discovered
Optimization7 vs 6
Return of the Tentacle leans harder on optimization: Item-combination logic and dialogue trees are fully solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.