head to head

Super Paper Mario cover artvsThe Ball cover art

Super Paper MariovsThe Ball

Super Paper Mario leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); The Ball leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).

EXECUTION4 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION6 /10
Super Paper MarioThe Ball

Axis by axis

Execution4 vs 4

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance1 vs 1

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization6 vs 7

The Ball leans harder on optimization: Solving each chamber's ball-physics puzzle is the core test

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Super Paper Mario

full breakdown

The Ball