Building comparison
head to head
Super Mario 64vsTarget Earth
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Super Mario 64
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A test of 3D movement control with a deep routing layer underneath.
Target Earth
Execution · Practiced Mastery
An unforgiving Genesis mech shooter of memorised stages executed under fire.
Super Mario 64 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Target Earth leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Super Mario 64Target Earth
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Mario 64
Perfect analog inputs trivialise precise jumps, dives and wall-kicks
Target Earth
Brutal mech run-and-gun demands precise jumps and shots
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 Mario 64
Solo platformer - no adaptive opponent anywhere
Target Earth
Enemy robots attack in fixed waves
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 Mario 64
Star locations and level layouts are fixed once seen
Target Earth
Stage events are scripted and memorisable
Optimization5 vs 5
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Super Mario 64
Star routing and movement tech form a deep solvable layer
Target Earth
Loadout selection and learned stage routes decide survival
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.