Game Over

A Game Over is a game mechanic that appears in Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou and Chu-Teng. A "Game Over" is a term used in video games where the player has died, run out of extra lives or chances, and has ultimately lost the game. As adventure games, Eastern Mind and Chu-Teng define this differently, courtesy of their unique design and the former's Reincarnation mechanic.

In Eastern Mind

In Eastern Mind, due to the Reincarnation mechanic, dying does not mean the player receives a Game Over should Rin or any of his reincarnations die. However, there is still one possible place to put the game in a Game Over state where the player has "lost" and cannot continue without either loading their save, or starting a New Game.

In the Room of Immortality Pu-ryao, should the player drink the Moon Water and not have the Sun Water to counter-act it, Rin will receive immortality. However, because he can no longer reincarnate, Rin can no longer acquire his Soul, and will be forced to live within a never ending time. The player cannot progress in this state, nor can they save the game after this sequence; like Pu-ryao suggests, the player must either open a prior save, or create a new save and "abandon all possessions".

Afterwards, the game screen turns into an endless collage of sprites and dialogue from various locations in the game, appearing at random positions on-screen. Occasionally, a screen transition will occur, wiping the screen before restarting the collage. The Furoshiki cannot be accessed from this screen.

In Chu-Teng

In Chu-Teng, because of the lack of Reincarnation, deaths are more directly harmful, and do indeed force the player to either load a prior save or start a New Game, much like more standard Adventure games. However, sources of Game Overs are very easily spotted, so it is unlikely the player will encounter them on accident.

Should the player get a Game Over, they get a brief cutscene of Rin flattening into nothing, before Nanshu's eye floats by, revealing the text "GAME OVER". Much like in Eastern Mind, the player cannot save on this screen, nor can they open the Furoshiki.