Building comparison
head to head
Super Mario Bros.vsSuper Mario Odyssey
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Super Mario Bros.
Execution · Pure Mechanics
Pure jump timing over fully fixed, memorisable levels.
Super Mario Odyssey
Execution · Pure Mechanics
A 3D platformer whose joy lives in tight movement and capture-driven traversal.
Super Mario Bros. leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Super Mario Odyssey leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Odyssey
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 Mario Bros.
Perfect inputs trivialise momentum jumps over fixed hazards
Super Mario Odyssey
Precise platforming and capture-move tech ceiling.
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 Bros.
Goombas walk left forever - nothing to predict
Super Mario Odyssey
No adaptive opponents whatsoever.
Variance0 vs 1
Super Mario Odyssey leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Super Mario Bros.
Every level is identical on every run
Super Mario Odyssey
Almost no randomness in level design.
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 Bros.
Level memorisation and warp routing are fully solvable
Super Mario Odyssey
Moon routes and movement tech learnable.
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.