Contradictory Vce values in transistor datasheet
Is it because the table is stating the maximum?

Yes. That's what 'Max' means.

If so, what factor can cause Vce to change so much given that Ib and
hfe are the same?

Hfe isn't necessarily the same. Internally the Darlington is a concatenation of two transistors. Due to process variations the current gain of each transistor can vary widely, and is strongly current dependent (dropping rapidly at high current). Total Hfe variation may be even greater because it is the product of the individual Hfe's, which have different curves.
In saturation Hfe becomes much lower as the Collector-Emitter voltage drops. Total saturation voltage may be determined by the first transistor (whose current gain drops to 1 in full saturation) or the second transistor if its gain is too low or resistance too high to support the desired current. All of these factors are process dependent.
The reason for the large maximum saturation value is that due to process variation a few individual transistors may approach that figure. The manufacturer doesn't want to throw away those marginal parts because it would raise the price (even just having to thoroughly test every unit for that parameter could make them too expensive).