With games being made all around the world, titles can sometimes be difficult to pronounce. Japanese role-playing games have their titles translated so that they make sense in English, and some developers use words from other languages as they can make for better or more fitting titles. Here is a list of ten game titles that people often find difficult to pronounce. Not all are in a foreign language or translated into English, but all of them can get people rather tongue-tied.
Before we start, an honorable mention goes to an open world JRPG that has not yet been released in the US, so therefore, does not have an official English title, but it could be the craziest game title ever. The rough translation is: ‘Summer-Colored High School : Adolescent Record – A Summer At School On An Island Where I Contemplate How The First Day After I Transferred, I Ran Into A Childhood Friend And Was Forced To Join The Journalism Club Where While My Days As A Paparazzi Kid With Great Scoops Made Me Rather Popular Among The Girls, But Strangely My Camera Is Full Of Panty Shots, And Where My Candid Romance Is Going.’ Imagine asking for that at your local store.
Deus Ex
Let’s start with an obvious one. With the first game releasing in the summer of 2000, the name of this action RPG series has proven difficult for many. As you probably know Deus Ex is set in a dystopian world during the year 2052 and the plot follows rookie United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition agent, JC Denton, as he sets out to combat terrorist forces.
There are two pronunciations of Deus Ex that are quite common. Some say ‘deus’ in the way it is said in french but most say it as ‘day-us’. The latter is widely regarded as the correct way but for such a successful series, it is surprising that not everyone knows exactly which way to pronounce the title.
Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals
The individual words that make up the title of the third Leisure Suit Larry game are not difficult, but the alliteration makes it a bit of a tongue twister. Released in November 1989, the third game in the series follows Larry Laffer, fresh from a divorce, as he explores a tropical resort looking for love.
It focuses on the dating sim parts from the earlier games in the series, putting players in control of Larry who gives women on the island gifts in an attempt to start a relationship with them. This kind of title was used in a number of Leisure Suit Larry games. There was Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, and Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places). Try saying the titles quickly five times!
Ehrgeiz
Ehrgeiz was released in arcades in 1998 and for the PlayStation later that year. Meaning ‘ambition’ in German, Ehrgeiz is a 3D fighting game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco. Its most noteworthy feature was the inclusion of Final Fantasy VII characters such as Cloud and Tifa Lockhart in the arcade version and five others in the PlayStation version.
A lot of people also struggled to say the game’s name. It is probably pronounced ‘air-guys’ or ‘err-guys’ but a number of variations have been heard. Probably the easiest way to learn how to pronounce the title would be to ask a German speaker.
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is the sixth entry in the Japanese RPG series. The series began in 1987 and The Ark of Napishtim was released in 2003. The Ys series tells the story of Adol Christin and his adventures. It is a JRPG that kept accessibility in mind when it was being developed. For example, rather than having turn-based combat, Adol automatically attacks enemies when he is close enough.
It isn’t just the subtitle of the sixth game in the series that is difficult to pronounce, the name of the series itself can cause confusion. Is ‘Ys’ pronounced ‘ees’ or ‘whys’? For a word made up of just two letters, it is quite difficult to pronounce. Napishtim is also not an English word and refers to something in the game. You will probably have to say it your own way and just go with it.
F3AR
Putting a number in a title to represent a letter is something movies have done for some time. There was L4yer Cake and Se7en to name just two, however, this trend began creeping into video game titles and F3AR is one of the more high-profile games to receive this treatment.
Officially named F.E.A.R 3, but stylized as F3AR on the game’s promotional material, the third game in the FEAR series was released in 2011. It is a is a first-person shooter survival horror game developed by Day 1 Studios and follows The Point Man and Paxton Fettel as they attempt to survive.
The title is clearly pronounced as ‘Fear 3’ but people have been heard incorporating the ‘3’ into the word ‘fear’ as a way of joking about the way the title is stylized. I mean, how do you even go about saying that, seriously?
Disgaea Series
Created by Nippon Ichi, Disgaea is a Japanese tactical RPG series that debuted in 2003 with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Known for its complex gameplay, high maximum stats, and comedic dialogue, the Disgaea games take place in the fictional place of Netherworld. The series is hugely popular with an anime, manga, and novels being released since the series started.
Also, people that are unaware of the series often have issues pronouncing the title. It is the ‘aea’ that people struggle with. Fans usually pronounce the title as ‘dis-guy-a’ rather than ‘dis-gaya’ but a lot of variations can be heard. Being such a popular series, you may hear a wide variety of pronunciations.
Suikoden
Loosely based on the classical Chinese novel, Shui Hu Zhuan by Shi Naian, Suikoden is a Japanese RPG series that has been going since 1995. Each game in the series centers on relative themes of politics, corruption, revolution, mystical crystals, and the ‘108 Stars of Destiny’ who are the 108 protagonists from the source material.
In terms of pronunciation, some people say the title as ‘soo-ee-ko-den’, and some as ‘swee-ko-den’. The latter is probably the most common but quite a high number of people use the former. There have been five core Suikoden games released over the years as well as some spin-offs, many of which are exclusive to Japan.
Danganronpa Series
The Danganronpa series is another that is very popular in both Japan and in the US. The series features visual novel games as well as third-person adventures, and revolves around the elite high school, Hope’s Peak Academy, and a group of ‘Ultimate Students’ who are top of their classes.
Since the game’s title is a portmanteau of two words, it is easy to pronounce by separating the words. ‘Dangan’ means bullet, and ‘ronpa’ means confutation. Each part is simple to pronounce on their own so simply put them together and the title is easy to say. It doesn’t have much effect on the way the title is pronounced but some people mistake the final ‘n’ in the title as a ‘m’ – it sounds similar either way.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft, author of the Call of Cthulhu book series, Dark Corners of the Earth was initially released for Xbox in 2005. Published by Bethesda, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth combines an action-adventure game with a relatively realistic first-person shooter and stealth game elements.
The easiest way to pronounce the title is by removing the ‘c’ from Cthulhu. By working out how to say ‘thulhu’, which isn’t too difficult, it is easy to add the soft ‘c’ onto the beginning to complete the difficult part of the title.
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is an RPG developed by Japanese developer Gust for the PlayStation 2, the first of the Atelier Iris saga to come to the US. The turn-based combat is interwoven in a tale of alchemy and mana, set in the world of Regallzine. Eternal Mana came to the PS2 in June 2005.
Atelier Iris is another title that is easier to pronounce if you break down the syllables. If you say it as ‘at-el-ee-er eye-ris’ then it is quite simple to say. Unlike some titles on this list, it is said exactly how it looks but the long title, with uncommon words, can make it a bit of a struggle.
If you have trouble pronouncing any other game titles let us know their names in the comments below.
About the author
