Puns divide opinion. Some people think they're hilarious, while others want to punch whoever says them. But even the most pun-hating person has to admit that some puns are clever. And there are people that can come up with very creative ones that catch everyone by surprise.
RELATED: Best Video Game Puns
Several of those people happen to work in gaming, as so many video games contain puns in their titles. They're not always immediately obvious and sometimes take a bit of thought. But there are many pun titles out there in both small indie games and big studio releases. These are a few of the best and most notable games to include them.
10 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Diddy Kong stars as the main hero in this game - alongside Dixie Kong. So, it makes sense that the title refers to the game as his quest. However, due to the position of the apostrophe and the 's,' it's actually saying that the main character is on a Kong Quest.
This obviously sounds like conquest, which Diddy and Dixie do throughout the game to different parts of the Kremling's home world. Plus, it can also mean a quest for a kong, which is also fitting as the heroes are trying to find and rescue Donkey Kong.
9 Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
The original version of this game was just called Dead Rising. Yet, when it was reimagined for the Wii, they added a pun to the end of the title.
This one is pretty obvious, as it's a play on the term shop till you drop, replacing the first word with 'chop,' as Frank West chops plenty of zombies throughout the adventure. Gaming's best journalist also spends the entire game in a mall, making the pun even more fitting.
8 Splatoon Series
In the Splatoon games, you engage in an all-out war against your opponents, armed with weapons that fire ink. This is where the pun title comes from as it combines the two main elements in the game into one word.
RELATED: Hilarious Button Prompts In Gaming
Splat refers to the ink that splats all over the floor and walls during battles. The other word is platoon, which is the name for a group of soldiers and fits with the combat aspect of the game.
7 Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Octodad is a unique puzzle game where you control an Octopus pretending to be a human. Much of his undercover duties revolve around looking after his human kids.
As such, the word dad makes it into the title twice. The second time, it forms part of a pun. Dadliest Catch is a play on the term Deadliest Catch, which is the name of a popular fishing show. Yet, it isn't quite accurate, as Octadad isn't much of a danger to those around him. He is hard to catch, though, as one chef finds out during the adventure.
6 Kirby's Epic Yarn
From wonderful main entries to excellent spin-offs, there have been many Kirby games. One of the cutest is Kirby's Epic Yarn, which sees the titular character banished to a world made of fabric and transformed into a piece of yarn.
The latter incident is why the game is called Epic Yarn. However, it's also a pun, as 'yarn' is another word for story. So, the title also means it's an epic story, which is the case for every Kirby adventure.
5 Guacamelee! Series
The Guacamelee series is a set of exciting Metroidvania games that sees you play as a luchador and brawl your way through different levels. Along the way, the game makes it abundantly clear that the title is inspired by Mexican culture based on the music and environment, along with the fact you're controlling a luchador.
RELATED: Funniest Platformers Ever Made
The developers committed to the Mexican theme to create a pun title by combining the popular Mexican dish known as guacamole with melee, which alludes to the brawling combat. Like much of the game, it's debatable whether the title is offensive or not.
4 South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The South Park television series has always been known for its crass humor. And the show's signature style of comedy also makes it into most of the games. As a result, The Fractured But Whole is filled with hilariously crude and controversial jokes.
They even slip one into the title, but it isn't immediately obvious until you say it out loud. In fairness to the writers, the pun isn't just a silly joke, as it is also a reference to the story. After all, much of the tale revolves around the protagonist's backside.
3 Max Payne Series
While the titular character does often deliver a few comical lines, Max Payne isn't the sort of series that is known for its humor. In fact, each game has a deadly serious narrative about crime, murder, and conspiracies.
So, it is surprising that the name of the series and its protagonist are a pun. Max Payne clearly means Maximum Pain, as the main character continually deals plenty of pain to his adversaries. Plus, he deals with a lot of mental and emotional pain himself.
2 Castlevania Series
Castlevania has been around so long that it's easy to forget that the title is a pun. After all, when thinking of the name, your mind likely doesn't immediately go to the combination of Castle and Transylvania. Instead, you probably think about the gothic themes or the entire genre the series has helped spawn called Metroidvania.
You can't claim that the title isn't accurate, considering the entries often take place in castles and revolve around Dracula, who has a close association with Transylvania.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
Since the start of the series, The Legend Of Zelda games have raised eyebrows because their titular character isn't the protagonist. Link doesn't make it into many of the series titles despite being the main hero.
Yet, he does make the cut on a few occasions - albeit in the form of a pun. A Link To The Past is a classic example. In this title, the word Link refers to both the protagonist and the connection between the game's parallel worlds.
NEXT: Funniest Video Game Characters
