head to head
vs
South Park: The Stick of TruthvsSteel Diver
South Park: The Stick of Truth leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Steel Diver leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
South Park: The Stick of TruthSteel Diver
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
Steel Diver leans harder on execution: Managing sluggish sub controls under fire takes deliberate dexterity
Reads0 vs 1
Steel Diver leans harder on reads: Enemy ships patrol on scripts, never adapting
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 6
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.