Building comparison
head to head
Super ContravsSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Super Contra
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Memorising spawn patterns then executing them flawlessly under one-hit-death rules.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Execution · Practiced Mastery
The famously punishing Japanese sequel to Super Mario Bros., built for players who mastered the original.
Super Contra leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Super ContraSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Contra
One-hit deaths demand precise dodging and constant accurate fire
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Brutal precision jumps, poison mushrooms punish any input slip
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Contra
Alien waves follow fixed spawn scripts
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
No adaptive opponent; everything is scripted
Variance1 vs 1
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Contra
Nothing random once spawn patterns are memorised
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Hidden blocks and warp zones until memorised
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Contra
Memorising spawns and weapon routes is half the run
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Level memorisation and warp routing are half the battle
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.
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