What I can say is that PF2 has probably the most "only these few levels of enemies can work" design of any RPG I've seen. This is because of the baked-in bonus to all pertinent die rolls based off creature level. And then you have the criticals triggering on +10 or -10 over the die roll. In this case, winning big (or losing big) absolutely matters.
It's not just that the HP are higher, or the AC is harder to hit. You are even more likely to drop in a one-shot critical hit against a higher level opponent than in any edition of D&D (or adjacent game).
It's not just that the HP are higher, or the AC is harder to hit. You are even more likely to drop in a one-shot critical hit against a higher level opponent than in any edition of D&D (or adjacent game).