head to head
vs
Sonic ManiavsZelda II: The Adventure of Link
Sonic Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Zelda II: The Adventure of Link leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Sonic ManiaZelda II: The Adventure of Link
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
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 6
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link leans harder on optimization: XP routing, spell use, palace order planning
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.