head to head

Return of the Tentacle cover artvsThe Secret of Monkey Island cover art

Return of the TentaclevsThe Secret of Monkey Island

Return of the Tentacle leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Secret of Monkey Island leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).

EXECUTION1 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE3 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10
Return of the TentacleThe Secret of Monkey Island

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 8

The Secret of Monkey Island leans harder on optimization: Correct item combinations and dialogue chains fully determine progress

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Return of the Tentacle

full breakdown

The Secret of Monkey Island