head to head
vs
Rise of the Golden IdolvsThe Secret of Monkey Island
Rise of the Golden Idol leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Secret of Monkey Island leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Rise of the Golden IdolThe Secret of Monkey Island
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
The Secret of Monkey Island leans harder on execution: Clicking inventory items demands no twitch skill whatsoever
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Rise of the Golden Idol leans harder on variance: Hidden roles and motives form layered investigative uncertainty
Optimization10 vs 8
Rise of the Golden Idol leans harder on optimization: Closed-world deduction chain converges to exactly one correct answer per scene
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.