head to head

Shin Megami Tensei IV cover artvsXenonauts cover art

Shin Megami Tensei IVvsXenonauts

Shin Megami Tensei IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Xenonauts leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).

EXECUTION1 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE5 /10OPTIMIZATION9 /10
Shin Megami Tensei IVXenonauts

Axis by axis

Execution1 vs 0

Shin Megami Tensei IV leans harder on execution: Menu combat with no execution ceiling.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance5 vs 6

Xenonauts leans harder on variance: Hit rolls and unseen alien positions punish certainty.

Optimization9 vs 9

Even - both lean on optimization about the same.

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

Xenonauts