head to head
vs
Space Quest: The Sarien EncountervsThe Cat Lady
Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Cat Lady leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Space Quest: The Sarien EncounterThe Cat Lady
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter leans harder on variance: Puzzle solutions hidden until discovered, then fixed
Optimization7 vs 6
Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter leans harder on optimization: Finding the one correct action sequence is the whole 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.