head to head
vs
The CavevsThe Last Guardian
The Cave leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Last Guardian leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
The CaveThe Last Guardian
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
The Last Guardian leans harder on variance: Trico's unpredictable compliance adds noise
Optimization6 vs 5
The Cave leans harder on optimization: Three-character object-shuffling puzzles are the whole game
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.