head to head
vs
Rhythm HeavenvsVVVVVV
Rhythm Heaven leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); VVVVVV leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Rhythm HeavenVVVVVV
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 9
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 0
Rhythm Heaven leans harder on variance: Cue patterns are fixed once heard.
Optimization2 vs 3
VVVVVV leans harder on optimization: Routes are short and obvious; execution is everything
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.