head to head

Returnal cover artvsSpelunky 2 cover art

ReturnalvsSpelunky 2

Returnal leans Execution (Twitch Chaos); Spelunky 2 leans Execution (Twitch Chaos).

EXECUTION8 /10READS2 /10VARIANCE7 /10OPTIMIZATION6 /10
ReturnalSpelunky 2

Axis by axis

Execution8 vs 8

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads2 vs 1

Returnal leans harder on reads: Bosses scripted, patterns not adaptive

Variance7 vs 7

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization6 vs 6

Even - both lean on optimization about the same.

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

Returnal

full breakdown

Spelunky 2