head to head
vs
Sonic ManiavsSpark the Electric Jester
Sonic Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Spark the Electric Jester leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Sonic ManiaSpark the Electric Jester
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 8
Spark the Electric Jester leans harder on execution: High-speed platforming and combat timing are the lead skill
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
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.