head to head
vs
Sid Meier's Pirates!vsThief: Deadly Shadows
Sid Meier's Pirates! leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Thief: Deadly Shadows leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Sid Meier's Pirates!Thief: Deadly Shadows
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Sid Meier's Pirates! leans harder on variance: Treasure locations, wind, and town states roll randomly
Optimization7 vs 8
Thief: Deadly Shadows leans harder on optimization: Light, sound, and route mastery makes ghosting solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.