Building comparison
head to head
The Cat LadyvsThe Sims
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
The Cat Lady
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A dark adventure game about a suicidal woman granted immortality to hunt five psychopaths.
The Sims
Optimization · Pure Optimization
An open-ended needs-and-money system that rewards efficient scheduling.
The Cat Lady leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Sims leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
The Cat LadyThe Sims
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
The Cat Lady
Side-scrolling adventure controls require no dexterity
The Sims
Clicking menus has no physical 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.
The Cat Lady
The Parasites are story antagonists, not adaptive opponents
The Sims
Sims run need-driven scripts, not minds
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
The Cat Lady
Mild unknowns in puzzle solutions on a blind playthrough
The Sims
Event rolls add flavour, all quickly mapped
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
The Cat Lady
Adventure-game puzzles have fixed discoverable solutions
The Sims
Need scheduling, career grinding and money loops are solvable
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.