# the nintendo ds had a very specific thesaurus

- Link: https://tacobout.online/2026/10/26/nintendo-ds-subtitle-initials/
- Published: 2026-10-26T10:30:00-05:00
- Author: Telly

The Nintendo DS had two screens and an extremely specific taste in subtitles.

[_Advance Wars: Dual Strike._](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-DS/Advance-Wars-Dual-Strike-269945.html)
[_Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow._](https://www.konami.com/games/castlevania/us/en-us/page/history_2005_nds)
[_Resident Evil: Deadly Silence._](https://usk.de/en/usktitle/14943/) [_Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword._](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-DS/Ninja-Gaiden-Dragon-Sword-271991.html)
Different publishers, wildly different games, the same two initials reporting for
duty.

![](https://i0.wp.com/tacobout.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hitch-04-receipts.
png?resize=250%2C300&ssl=1)

Some of them had an excellent excuse. Nintendo describes _Dual Strike_ battles running
across both screens. _Dawn of Sorrow_ used the touchscreen for its Magic Seal system.
_Dragon Sword_ had you hold the DS sideways and control Ryu almost entirely with
the stylus. The hardware was getting involved in the game and then taking a little
credit in the title.

But the naming pattern itself is the charming part. A vampire sequel, a zombie port,
a strategy game and a ninja adventure all somehow emerge from the subtitle department
with matching monograms.

> what i miss most about the nintendo ds is how game companies would bend over backwards
> to give games subtitles that fit the D.S. abbreviation
> — [schweg, 🦇 (@schwegler.lol)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:djguxreovfe4bkm7sizg2kxk?ref_src=embed)
> [2026-10-25T22:19:33.476Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:djguxreovfe4bkm7sizg2kxk/post/3myqahu34p22y?ref_src=embed)

[The original observation](https://bsky.app/profile/schwegler.lol/post/3myqahu34p22y)
is right: this was a very particular kind of console-era nonsense. Bring back titles
that look like somebody had a deadline and exactly two letters left in the stationery
cupboard.

Image credit: _Advance Wars: Dual Strike_ artwork © Nintendo / INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS,
from [Nintendo’s official game page](https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-DS/Advance-Wars-Dual-Strike-269945.html).