head to head
vs
Sonic ManiavsSonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sonic the Hedgehog 3 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Sonic ManiaSonic the Hedgehog 3
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 0
Sonic Mania leans harder on reads: No human opponent
Variance2 vs 1
Sonic Mania leans harder on variance: Mostly deterministic with hidden routes
Optimization5 vs 5
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.