Building comparison
head to head
Super Mario Galaxy 2vsSuper Metroid
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A 3D platformer about precise gravity-bending jumps through fixed galaxies.
Super Metroid
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Movement execution and route optimisation through a fixed, mappable planet.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Metroid leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Super Mario Galaxy 2Super Metroid
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Super Mario Galaxy 2 leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Precise jumps and gravity navigation define every galaxy
Super Metroid
Wall-jumps, shinesparks and boss dodges demand precise inputs
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 Galaxy 2
Bosses are scripted patterns, not adapting to you
Super Metroid
Bosses cycle fixed patterns, never adapting
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 Galaxy 2
Levels are deterministic, nothing random
Super Metroid
Item and route knowledge is fixed once discovered
Optimization6 vs 7
Super Metroid leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Learning fixed layouts and routes for stars
Super Metroid
Sequence-breaking route optimisation is the enduring meta-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.