head to head
vs
State of Decay 2vsThe Banner Saga 3
State of Decay 2 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); The Banner Saga 3 leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
State of Decay 2The Banner Saga 3
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
State of Decay 2 leans harder on execution: Combat is forgiving; stealth and swings need modest timing
Reads0 vs 1
The Banner Saga 3 leans harder on reads: Enemy AI remains scripted; Dredge patterns are fixed
Variance5 vs 5
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.