head to head
vs
Shovel KnightvsSonic Rivals
Shovel Knight leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sonic Rivals leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Shovel KnightSonic Rivals
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Sonic Rivals leans harder on variance: Power-up cards add minor randomness
Optimization4 vs 5
Sonic Rivals leans harder on optimization: Route memorisation and shortcut lines decide race times
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.