head to head

Shin Megami Tensei IV cover artvsWizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord cover art

Shin Megami Tensei IVvsWizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Shin Megami Tensei IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).

EXECUTION1 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE5 /10OPTIMIZATION9 /10
Shin Megami Tensei IVWizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Axis by axis

Execution1 vs 1

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance5 vs 6

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord leans harder on variance: Random encounters, teleporters and brutal dice rolls

Optimization9 vs 8

Shin Megami Tensei IV leans harder on optimization: Fusion apps, weakness charts, and builds solve the game.

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Shin Megami Tensei IV

full breakdown

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord