Building comparison
head to head
SanitariumvsScratches
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Sanitarium
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A classic psychological adventure where an amnesiac navigates surreal delusions to recover his identity.
Scratches
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A slow-burn first-person adventure investigating strange scratching sounds in an isolated Victorian mansion.
Sanitarium leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Scratches leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SanitariumScratches
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Sanitarium
Point-and-click navigation requires no dexterity
Scratches
First-person point-and-click input is physically trivial
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Sanitarium
No opponents; the delusions follow a fixed narrative
Scratches
No opponents at all, only an empty haunted estate
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Sanitarium
Surreal puzzle logic is unknown until reasoned out
Scratches
The mystery's hidden answers drive a blind first run
Optimization7 vs 7
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Sanitarium
Every chapter is a deterministic puzzle to solve
Scratches
Investigation puzzles resolve to one fixed solution path
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.