head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Exploiting the press-turn system through demon fusion and weakness math.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
A small-plot city builder where specialization economics and traffic engineering decide success.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); SimCity (2013) leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Turn-based menus carry zero dexterity demands
SimCity (2013)
Mouse planning; no dexterity demands.
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Brutal bosses still run fixed scripts
SimCity (2013)
No opponent; multiplayer regions cooperate.
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Unknown boss gimmicks and fusion luck sting first attempts
SimCity (2013)
Agent simulation quirks behave unpredictably.
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Press-turn exploitation and fusion planning decide everything
SimCity (2013)
Specialization chains and traffic layouts reward systematic planning.
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.