head to head

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes cover artvsZak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders cover art

The Testament of Sherlock HolmesvsZak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).

EXECUTION0 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE3 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10
The Testament of Sherlock HolmesZak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Axis by axis

Execution0 vs 0

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance3 vs 4

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders leans harder on variance: Globe-trotting item requirements are obscure on first play.

Optimization7 vs 6

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes leans harder on optimization: The deduction board is a solvable logic puzzle

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

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes

full breakdown

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders