head to head
vs
Super Mario 3D LandvsThomas Was Alone
Super Mario 3D Land leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Thomas Was Alone leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Super Mario 3D LandThomas Was Alone
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 4
Super Mario 3D Land leans harder on execution: 3D jumps and special-world remixes need clean control
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 0
Super Mario 3D Land leans harder on variance: Star coin locations hidden on first pass
Optimization5 vs 5
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.