Building comparison
head to head
Stick it to the Man!vsThe Cave
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Stick it to the Man!
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Comedy adventure puzzles solved by matching the right sticker to the right head.
The Cave
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Coordinating three characters through fixed object-logic puzzles.
Stick it to the Man! leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Cave leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Stick it to the Man!The Cave
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Stick it to the Man!
Simple platforming with no twitch ceiling
The Cave
Undemanding platforming with no timing pressure
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Stick it to the Man!
Mind-reading is a story device, not opponent modelling
The Cave
No adversary - a narrating cave is not a mind
Variance1 vs 2
The Cave leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Stick it to the Man!
Every gag and sticker puzzle is scripted
The Cave
Each character's section is unknown on first descent
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Stick it to the Man!
Matching stickers to puzzle locks is the core test
The Cave
Three-character object-shuffling puzzles are the whole game
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.