Building comparison
head to head
Shantae and the Pirate's CursevsSuper Mario 64
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A 2D platformer where pirate gear unlocks new movement abilities across interconnected islands.
Super Mario 64
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A test of 3D movement control with a deep routing layer underneath.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Mario 64 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Shantae and the Pirate's CurseSuper Mario 64
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Precise platforming and boss dodges demand clean inputs
Super Mario 64
Perfect analog inputs trivialise precise jumps, dives and wall-kicks
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Enemies and bosses run fixed scripted patterns
Super Mario 64
Solo platformer - no adaptive opponent anywhere
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Layouts and item locations are static once learned
Super Mario 64
Star locations and level layouts are fixed once seen
Optimization5 vs 5
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Item order and route knowledge matter, especially speedrunning
Super Mario 64
Star routing and movement tech form a deep solvable layer
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.