Lemma Soft Forums

The premise and rules are the same as last time.
I have a game. You have a talent for naming games.
Come up with a good name for my game and I'll pay you

This is more like a competition rather than hired work. Anybody can chime in, and you can offer multiple names. (Limit it to a reasonable number. If you have a lot, pick your best few)

The way it works is like this:
-Read the game description, important elements, etc.
-Come up with something apt or witty
-Post the name (or names) as a reply to this thread. Do NOT PM names

Titles must be:
-Fairly short. 2-6 words
-Not offensive, sexual, using existing trademarks, etc.
-Not taken, or too close to another game's name

After 1 week I will choose a name from among the replies. If I don't like any of them enough to use them, I'll extend the deadline by another week.
If there's still no clear winner after 2 weeks, I'll pick one as a placeholder title, and that person will get paid anyway.

Payment is $15 USD for the winning title.
Payment will be through paypal, though I can also do a bank transfer if you have an Australian bank account.

Onto the game itself...


You play as Silas, a young man in his mid 20's with the supernatural ability to turn back time.

Upon learning that he has this ability, Silas decides to use his power for good as much as possible.
Every day he watches the news religiously, and scours the internet in search of current events, keeping an eye out for crimes committed within the city in which he lives.
Silas then uses his power to turn back time, inserts himself into the situation, and prevents these crimes from ever occurring.

Unfortunately, Silas' ability is limited.
While there's no limit on how many times he can go back, he is bound to the current day. In other words, he can only go back so far as midnight of the current day.
Once midnight passes, he cannot go back and try again. Any events he learns about the next day are beyond his control.

In his quest to do good, Silas ultimately winds up questioning his own goals, and what it means to even "do good" to begin with.
If he kills one person to save two more, is that for the best? What if he steals from someone wealthy because he needs money to help someone worse off?
Should he help a non-violent criminal in order to stop a murderer? At what point should he simply call the police, and leave it to due process?

As the game goes on, Silas is continuously tormented by the people he couldn't save, the crimes he has committed, and the maddening repetition of reliving the same days over and over again. He questions whether he's even making a difference, and why he should keep devoting his own life to helping others.


I've been trying to think of a title which revolves around:
-The notion of either time or repetition
-Either the helplessness Silas feels from being unable to save everyone, or the pointlessness of repeating the same thing over and over
-Perhaps a hint that crime is involved (most of the prominent events he stops are violent crimes)

If you need more information, or feel that I've missed something that would help with the naming, please ask in a reply to this thread.

The Persistence of Sanity. This is a blatant reference to Salvador Dali's painting, which shows a horrifying, desolate world of melting clocks. In my opinion, the painting implies that something awful has happened, and that the world no longer makes sense. (I searched the web for this title. It seems that it was used about five years ago in a song by Henry Floyd.)

For what it's worth, your story sounds a bit similar to Death Note, which I read but didn't finish. As far as I can tell, your story will also be about a vigilante who gets a supernatural ability, and who might be going insane. The limited time travel angle is a definite point of difference. Think about how much you want your protagonist to use violence to solve goals. Likewise, consider whether your protagonist is fighting fate, or whether he has other opponents.

I had a few suggestions as well!

• Limited Rewind - Refers primarily to Silas' power. (Alternate: Limited Repeat)
• Circadian Loop - Circadian Rhythms are naturally occurring cycles in the body, even in the absence of light. This refers not only to Silas' power and their same-day limitation, but also the inevitability and persistent presence of time itself.
• Chronophobic Haze - Chronophobia is a fear of time or its passing. Living each day in the manner Silas does would cause each day to blend together. (Alternatively, just "Chronophobia.")

gekiganwing wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 05, 2017 11:10 pm

For what it's worth, your story sounds a bit similar to Death Note, which I read but didn't finish. As far as I can tell, your story will also be about a vigilante who gets a supernatural ability, and who might be going insane. The limited time travel angle is a definite point of difference. Think about how much you want your protagonist to use violence to solve goals. Likewise, consider whether your protagonist is fighting fate, or whether he has other opponents.

I've read Death Note, and I think these two are sufficiently different.
I think the main comparison drawn will be to Stein's Gate; going back in time, over and over again, trying to save someone.

Cipher wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 05, 2017 11:49 pm

• Limited Rewind - Refers primarily to Silas' power. (Alternate: Limited Repeat)
• Circadian Loop - Circadian Rhythms are naturally occurring cycles in the body, even in the absence of light. This refers not only to Silas' power and their same-day limitation, but also the inevitability and persistent presence of time itself.
• Chronophobic Haze - Chronophobia is a fear of time or its passing. Living each day in the manner Silas does would cause each day to blend together. (Alternatively, just "Chronophobia.")

I like these, particularly Circadian Loop.

Might as well give this a shot. Here are my stabs.

Re:Crime
Re:Trigger
Re:24
Re:Circuit
Re:Violence

Time Circuit
Crime Circuit
Crime Cycles

Went for the crime and time motifs.

The time loop really reminds me of Kagerou Days song (vocaloid) or Kagerou project as a whole. I always love including several references in one word which could go wherever you want to interpret it and neither would be wrong. I'm going to assume you've watched it, but if you haven't listened to it, I suggested watching the original music video which features a really great time paradox where a boy wants to save the girl, only to ultimately by sacrifice his life. However, the girl also wishes the same, creating an endless loop where they're constantly trying to save the other. Nice paradox.

So here's some ideas:

- Just Kill The Grandpa: a reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandfather_paradox which might explain Silas' train of thoughts and the more obscure/bizarre decisions he would make in the game to affect the time/outcome. It might not fit the one-day loop though, since the order of the paradox would be to go back far in time and kill the grandfather of someone, making that someone non-existent in the present day. I don't know, but it kind of sticks to my head.

- Endless ** Day: Instead of the day goes on and on, it's looping. The asterisk is meant to be filled with a time reference, like Summer, Groundhog (haha, double reference to the movie). Or some out of place adjectives like "perfect".

- One Last Flap to Go (or, One Last Flap): It's triple references. First, a tribute to butterfly effect, where a butterfly's wings flap could cause tornado, theoretically. Second, to a phrase of 'the last lap', the last stage of something difficult. Third, like making a promise to yourself against something that you know you'll repeat anyway, like eating a whole pizza on your own.

Bound by Midnight - referring to how Silas can only go back as far as midnight and not past the next midnight
The Sin of Alteration - referring to Silas' meddling and if he is doing more harm than good
Rewind My Insanity - referring to how Silas may go mad having to relive days over and over
Reset Penalty - referring to possible consequence of Silas' rewinds and alterations

Hm...
Time Crisis - refers to the time-turning to avert crises, at the same time Silas is dealing with internal crisis

Time Crisis is a well-established videogame franchise dating back over two decades.
Out of the question.

I'm not that great at this stuff, but I'll try anyway.

ænigma's divergeance

Thats the best I have

-Endless 24
-Lemniscate (the symbol used to represent infinity)
-Time Slip (reference to the term that describes someone 'slipping' to a different time period through an unknown means)
-Time Leap
-Butterfly Days
-Circa Midnight (both a reference to his time limit and circadian roots)
-Clockwork 0:00 (or, Clockwork 12:00, or Clockwork 24:00).

Imperf3kt wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2017 7:38 pm

Time Crisis is a well-established videogame franchise dating back over two decades.
Out of the question.

Okay... I didn't even know such a franchise existed. I guess I should've googled it first.

Alternatives:
Clockwork Crisis - Same idea as my original suggestion. Plus the alliteration makes it sound nicer.

Temporal Crisis - The "crisis" part is pretty much the same, while the "temporal" part refers to the short amount of time Silas can turn back. It can also refer to the sides of the head (temple), and by extension the mind. "Temporal Crisis" will likely be interpreted by most people as the short amount of time he can rewind to avert crisis. But then there's another meaning, his inner crisis is causing him a great headache.

Rewriter
Rollbacker
Time Waits For No One
One more time
One more try
Roll'n'Over
Over'n'Over
Cycleholic
Timin' Around
When the clock strikes midnight
What worth dying for

"all in a day" - Google tells me a spesific charity event was called this, but that doesn't seem like a conflict of interests (from the expression "all in a day's work")

"Silas' reversal" - (because he reverses events, but his heroic disposition might also be facing a reversal)

"repeat offender/defender"

"bloodless days, bloody nights" - (now we're going -very- metaphorical - with bloodless days referring to the crimes he stops, and bloody nights referring to his torment - most likely manifesting itself strongest after midnight)

"the weights of choice"
"the pendulum of responsibility" (both of these reference clock parts)

Looking at the list, it is all a bit depressing:

- Fight, cry, repeat
- Questionable second chances
- If only ... if not
- Crying loop
- Loop of doubt
- Limited divinity
- Repeating misery
- Unsatisfying save-game

But you do have me curious about the name of your game

Thank you for all of the great suggestions, everyone!

I've decided to go with Cipher's suggestion of Circadian Loop after all.