head to head
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and SpacevsValiant Hearts: The Great War
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Valiant Hearts: The Great War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and SpaceValiant Hearts: The Great War
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Valiant Hearts: The Great War leans harder on execution: Gentle timing in a few chase sequences
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 4
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space leans harder on optimization: Inventory-logic puzzles are the entire solvable test
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

