head to head
vs
The EscapistsvsThief: The Dark Project
The Escapists leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Thief: The Dark Project leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
The EscapistsThief: The Dark Project
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Thief: The Dark Project leans harder on execution: Combat is deliberately weak; sword timing matters only as last resort
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Thief: The Dark Project leans harder on variance: Guard alert states and random patrol timings introduce mission variance
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.