head to head
vs
Song of the DeepvsThe Last of Us
Song of the Deep leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Last of Us leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Song of the DeepThe Last of Us
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
The Last of Us leans harder on execution: Aim, stealth timing, and scarce-ammo combat
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 5
Song of the Deep leans harder on optimization: Environmental puzzles and upgrade routing carry 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.