How to pick enemy names

CloseRange

Member
I am currently working on a game and I've reached one of the hardest parts of the design, story.

My question is simple. I personally have several enemy/pets you can fight and capture and I need to come up with names for them.
What do you guys think are good ways / methods to get good enemy / npc / pet names?

The hard part for me is if I make it anything fantasy and unheard of I fell it will end up just being cringe.
 

curato

Member
There are a good few name generators out there. Other than that, I like to fall back on latin myself or play on words or puns depending on the tone.
 
That's actually one of my favourite parts of design. Something to keep in mind is that most names sound corny to begin with. As long as you don't lean too hard into making it look as weird and foreign as possible (unless that in itself is a part of the worldbuilding, for instance, aliens that can't make vowel sounds or something being named Kz'ltl, etc) then your players will get used to the names really quickly and they'll be completely normal. Remember, a band named Korn became -reeeeally- famous at one point. Korn...People can get used to anything. As long as there's a consistent thematic flow through your ideas, they'll usually be fine.

Something I do when I'm really having a hard time is use a random name generator, but generate like 100 names or something, then whittle them down based on what feelings the names inspire. It usually only takes like half an hour or less and you'll be almost guaranteed to find something good.
 

Toque

Member
I look at the picture and names just start coming. If you have a theme then I take theme words and play them.
Yes some will cringe.


I bet if you posted images and asked you would get tons of names from users.
 

pixeltroid

Member
You can be as random as you want and literally make up names as long as they have a nice ring to them. For example, "Bowser" and "Goro".

Or you can use words and names from mythology. For example, "Sheeva" and "Moloch" from the Mortal Kombat universe are taken from eastern and middle eastern mythology. "Shub-Niggurath" (the final boss of Quake 1) is taken from the Cthulu Mythology by H.P.Lovercraft.

Or you just name your enemies on the basis of what they look like. For example, the "Spider mastermind" (Doom universe) is named that way simply because the robotic contraption it uses to walk with resembles a spider.
 
Give it a catchy name! Slasher, puncher, zapper. Or just a funny name. Slasher Sue, Whiskers McPunchy, Frank Zapper.
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I feel like the best names describe something aptly, while still not being obvious enough that they come off as dull or uninspired.

Bad names:
  • Ice Sword
  • Rabbit People
  • Fat Man
  • Brain Eater
  • Forest Land
Improved versions that sound better:
  • Frostbrand
  • Harefae
  • Girthur
  • Mind Leecher
  • Orchard Kingdom
 

Gamer (ex-Cantavanda)

〜Flower Prince〜
Good name's for characters:
pizza
fart dude
triple cheeseburger
Cantavanda 2
darkslurper
Jeff
covfefe
YAL
1+1=3
SoyBoy
oppa le epic style
iTunes speed's up UR intornet, download now from appel iFone's
lil small
ANGEL OF RAINING BLOOD AND ROTTEN FLESH SKIN MASK
pure snot
RANDOM DUMB FUCC
Destroyer of Pargenant women
rrkf'lkthg
E-Girl
JDFSKQMFJDSKQLMDKQLM
monster
Chad
Geoff
SPIDERS ARE SCARY
Evil Man
keyboard and mouse abuser
VHSmon
hand with only four fingers
Avira Antivirus
Bob Esponga
EYEBALLMONSTER
Sunglass Women
game streamer
Pukicha
tarzaaan's
"meme" template
Jefe
 

Niels

Member
I feel like the best names describe something aptly, while still not being obvious enough that they come off as dull or uninspired.

Bad names:
  • Ice Sword
  • Rabbit People
  • Fat Man
  • Brain Eater
  • Forest Land
Improved versions that sound better:
  • Frostbrand
  • Harefae
  • Girthur
  • Mind Leecher
  • Orchard Kingdom
And if your are making a Japanese inspired game ALWAYS use the word Crimson instead of red ;)
 
https://namelix.com/

This is technically a tool for generating company names - but if you use descriptive keywords you'll probably get some decent "pet names" from it.

PS: Even Pokémon has a few "cringe worthy" names in the mix.They don't ALL need to be exotic-sounding. ;)
 
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