Choose the title of Crimson Gray 1.5 that appeals most to you:

So "blood" doesn't work for you period? Hmm, that's useful feedback, thank you.

Sierra Lee

Welp.

Sierra Lee

Shades of Dawn fits best as a subtitle, but it's still kinda...eh? It doesn't really make sense in ofitself. Within the title context it kind of reminds me of shades of gray. If you wanted to use Dawn, Fading Dawn, Glipses, Whispers, Coming, Herald, or some other word with those connotations would fit better. Shades definitely fits better with Gray. The other choices with blood just makes me think it's a vampire game which doesn't fit. Keep the rose motif is fine, maybe something about thorns.

Mylen Ploa

I'mma abstain, because NONE of the choices there appeal to me... the closest would be Blood-Tinted Glasses, or something like Sunrise-Tinted Glasses. What's there at the moment...all of them feel either generic or clunky.

SEEQYR

Unfortunately, everyone has a different point where a title becomes too florid. I think there's a risk of that throwing people.

Sierra Lee

"Sanguine(-?)tint(ed?) spectacle(s?)" That should make the rose-tinted glasses metaphor visible without overloading the blood and rose connotations, plus sanguine is less doubling down on monosyllabic color words. You can go with or without the hyphen or the "-ed", potentially sub "color" or even "hue" for "tint". (Hue can be an understated evocation for hew, as in with an ax.) Lastly, you can add or remove the last "s" in spectacles depending on whether you want an overt optometry reference or a suggestion.

DukeLeto7

Yeah, I'm definitely open to alternative ways of trying to get that idea. Haven't come up with anything yet, but you've given me some new angles, thanks!

Sierra Lee

I certainly hope so!

Sierra Lee

Interesting new ideas! I'm trying to think how I feel about "Rose Dawn."

Sierra Lee

I don’t think that any of these in isolation really gets across the “Rose-tinted glasses” theme you seem to be going for. Perhaps a different way of phrasing the idea would work: a variation on “through jealous eyes” or “crimson vision” or “perspective” could give the sense of Lizzie’s distorted view of the world, and then amend for your colour theming? Just a thought.

Hollow49

As long as the name hooks the audience, the writing will deliver.

Runcible Technician

Perhaps we can do hope without shadiness. Rose Dawn?

Decanter

I did not like any of them. The color-based stuff connotes violence and passions - in an overwhelming way? It's hard to say. I picked Shades of Dawn because it sounds hopeful. I like hope. Looking at my purchase history in steam, desura, and GoG, I apparently have a tendency to favorite games that are hopeful. (Yes, dark souls is hopeful, damnit. If you don't think it is, you skipped reading the item lore :P ^_^ )

Grimwauld

None of the poll options really click for me. I'd mix some together for "Red Eye" but that carries the connotation of either a late-night flight or strong coffee. "Crimson Grey: Rose Dawn"? It's pithier on the tongue but doesn't convey any real image. Maybe something off-list? There's an old Churchill quote that might work here: "Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong." That cherry tree plays a big role early in the game before it's burned down. And Lizzie and John were both solitary souls before they met one another. So, "Crimson Grey: Solitary Trees"?

wearMoniker

Hard to know how many votes we'll get total, so I hope everyone keeps voting for their preference. Thanks for your thoughts!

Sierra Lee

Thanks for your feedback!

Sierra Lee

Hard to say, but I didn't expect a result like this, so it's useful information. Thank you for adding your thoughts!

Sierra Lee

"Crimson grey-eyes of red" sounds like a sexy vampire. I thing shades of dawn sounds like a hippie just waking up. Apparently i am the minority here lol

Kyle S

I like the meaning of "Eyes of Red" but for some reason I haven't quite pinned down, it comes off as too blunt to me. My intent with the last one is in the above comment. I personally like it, but that doesn't mean it's good.

Sierra Lee

Not the implication I was going for! I wanted it to be a play on "rose-colored glasses" but that one may be too clever for its own good. If people don't think of the play on words, it sounds weird.

Sierra Lee

All feedback is useful feedback, thanks!

Sierra Lee

Yeah, I was thinking the hyphens didn't work myself while typing it. Whatever is chosen, I'm likely to avoid the hyphens one way or another.

Sierra Lee

Sorry, I forget who the previous synopsis was available to. For anyone wondering, it's Lizzie and John in college, two years after the first game.

Sierra Lee

For me, Shades of dawn fits best because of the literal change in colora based on how the player does in the game, none of the other titles resonate with that subtle change as much for me

Argenten

I think Shades of Dawn is doing so well mostly because everything else is doubling down on the color. I mean, you can try to go full Bloody-Crimson-Scarlet-Red, but you're already sitting on a hue and a shade in the title. Maybe "Blood-Tinted" or just "Bloodied" Glasses could work - either going harder on the turn of phrase, or abstracting it further to dodge hammering on color so much - or maybe Shades is just that much cooler. *shrug*

Navros Adaelean

Oh no, why is Shades of Dawn winning. You should under no circumstances put the words "Shades" and "Gray" together in a title. That well is poisoned. Eyes of Red would be my pick, since I think a lot of people haven't quite figured out the meanings of the colors in the title, and it captures that it's Lizzie's PoV. Blood-Colored Lenses doesn't do that as well and it's a bit purple, but it'd be okay. Rose-Colored Blood doesn't seem as meaningful.

Decanter

"Blood-Colored Lenses" and "Eyes of Red" sound really ominous... Rose-Colored Blood makes me think of menstruation which I think may be Tori Amos' fault: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuixBBtBso0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuixBBtBso0</a> So "Shades of Dawn" wins my vote.

DukeLeto7

I doubt this is helpful, but none of them really resonate with me. That said, the only suggestion I've been able to come up with I also don't think would work. Blanching Fears. Because fear can cause people to pale, but it also refers to the fears themselves diminishing. Eh, I just don't think so. Sorry.

EG Douglas

I think having the hyphen weakens the -colored titles. Crimson Gray: Blood Rose, or Crimson Gray: Lens of Blood sound better. Maybe Crimson Gray: Blood like Roses.

Hard to say without a vague synopsis of what the "expansion" will touch upon. Of the four, "rose coloured blood" and "shades of dawn" are the most open-ended in the sense that you could go literally anywhere with them and still satisfy the title to some extent

Toastedsnow