Introduction

Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou is a point and click game released in 1994 that tells the story of Rin, a man who recently discovered the absence of his soul and sets off for the island of Tong-Nou in order to retrieve it. The introductory plot is mostly just a framing device for the various ways the games represents things like self-discovery, reincarnation and a spiritual journey, Eastern Mind tells a fairly abstract story by representing concepts via various metaphorical means as you press on through the game.

The game was made by Osamu Sato, who is primarily a musician which is why all of his video-game work is published by Sony Music Entertainment, he had massive creative control over the entire project and boy does it ever show in Eastern Mind. I find the fact that this game exists as it does and was in fact marketed like that to be incredibly amazing. It's a game that is truly unlike anything else, it makes plenty of bold moves with narrative and gameplay style in the point and click genre. A lot of how remarkably inventive this game is gets a bit lost behind the fact the game is just really fucking weird. And it is, and that is certainly part of the charm of it all.

Videos

One morning, Rin discovered the absence of a soul.
The Zoh-Gaeru family lives day by day.
Peach-based homicide and time paradoxes.
The kings are killing time by manipulating life.
Your soul returns, emitting beautiful light (Minor section of this video could be considered )
Helix Palace (Bonus Video) (Minor section of this video could be considered )
Bonus Art

Characters

Eastern Mind has a extremely colourful and strange cast of characters and nearly all of them have a separate entry in the Tong-Nou Book that gives usually completely irrelevant and pointless but still kinda interesting details about the characters of the game, it's another example of the baffling detail that was put into this game's creation. If a creature has a book page, it will be linked in their character image and in their name, click either to open the book page.


Rin: The protagonist. One morning, he discovered the absence of a soul and embarked on a journey to the island of Tong-Nou to retrieve it, that's all we really know about him.


Fang Shing: A friendly creature who wants nothing more than to give us clues, there are many of him located all throughout Tong-Nou.


Mai-Chiu: The lone merchant of the Phantom Marketplace. Loves the trading business but hates those who thinks money buys everything.


Jin: One of the playable characters, his reincarnation was unsuccessful and his life ended before it even started. Apparently made of bronze.


Tou: Another playable character, his goal in life is to register life at the computer in the Fire Tower of Time. His fetish is mechanical apparatus.


Tabelinai: An extremely affectionate creature, sadly the only way it knows how to express said affectation is eating the things it loves.


Moku-Gyou: The king of the Land of Life, absolutely despises ants and those pesky and ignorant Fang-Shing. He's a bit of a jerk.


Zoh-Gaeru Family: A family of optimistic yet foolish social introverts who can't stand each others presence and yet believe they are destined to take over the land of Tong Nou. These guys are great and I love them.


Ga-Show: A friendly creature who really digs New Year's Day, has apparently the innate ability to teleport but has not yet honed this skill of his.


Ying and Yang: Two brothers who work in the computer room in the Tower of Time. One of them is a pack of lies and the other is a hard-worker who loves computers.


Gyou: Another playable character, a bug whose head is literally on fire and he loves to perform risky flying tricks.


Byou: The mechanic that all have been longing for. Can also disguise himself amongst trees.


Ah & Ung: The two gatekeeps of the Palace of Dreaming, believe themselves to have high intelligence quotients and have a penchant for riddles.


Pang-Xie: Likes to eat his own, infinitely re-growable legs. The book itself describes it as an eccentric creature, which kinda says a lot.


Mong-aru: One of the magatama collectors in the river, it has finally become his turn to dream, so he wants a wonderful dream and fast.


Sui-Gyou: The King of the Land of Dreaming, tasked with giving dreams to all residents of the land, hates quarrels and so his job is draining


Zuo-mong: Hidden away within Sui-Gyou, but magatamas are turned into dreams with his insight, making him very important to the land of dreaming.


Mong-I: The other magatama collector in the river, exhausted with his job he longs for his turn to dream.


Zen: Guard in the ice wall in the Land of Dreaming, finds being confined to ice to be pretty heartbreaking.


Kai: A guardian of the Land of Time who fears water, as he thinks it will extinguish his beautiful flames.


T.B.C: A creature with three minds who finds amusement in self-dismantlement. Right, then.


Ka-Gyou: King of the Land of Time, controls fate and time.


Retsu: Vermin that hangs around the roots of the Tree of Life, born with the words of duty "help the troubled"


Sha: Born in the Land of Desire and is tasked with collecting the four instruments that will bring discipline when played


King Gyou: Possesses the power to turn human desires to gold or gems and is greedy but amiable.


Long Ri and Long Yui: Ball Dragons that live in the Land of Desire, if they breathe fire at each other, the Golden Flower is born.


Chi-Fang: The Room of Appetite itself, emits food only to engulf it again. Through this pursuit he has evolved to be no more than lips, arms and a stomach.


Pu-Ryao: The Room of Immortality itself, the Moon Water he holds will bring forth immortality.


Show-Mi: The Room of Sexual Desire itself, lives like Casanova with three wives. Also pretty clearly a penis.


Nai Nai: Shake shake shake is her speciality. Also a set of like five breasts. I can't believe I'm writing this shit.


Take-Yacco: Loves her face more than anything.


Twei Twei: A stubborn character with much self affection, red boots that show off her legs are her favourite.


A-Mong Family: A family of five thieves, each with different ways of swindling you out of your inventory. Confirm the contents of your Furoshiki after encountering them.