Game Over (term)

Game Over (ゲームオーバー, Gēmuōbā?) is the scene given when certain conditions are met, the most common ones being the entire party Knocked Out, Petrified, or the player runs out of time during certain events. Some enemy attacks can trigger a Game Over no matter what. A notable example would be Sin's Overdrive, Giga Graviton, in Final Fantasy X.

Each Final Fantasy has a different Game Over scene. From the original Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy VI, there is no Game Over screen, only the battle message saying "The party is defeated". A melancholic music track usually accompanies the Game Over scene. Whenever this happens, the player either returns to the title screen or respawns at the most recent save point. Anything done after the last save, such as meeting new characters, obtaining an item or confronting a boss, will have to be reattempted, making a Game Over undesirable under most circumstances.

Appearances[]

Final Fantasy[]

"Dead Music" is the name of the track that plays after all the Warriors of Light perish on the battlefield.

Final Fantasy II[]

"Dead Music" is the name of the track that plays after Firion and his friends are defeated.

Final Fantasy III[]

"Requiem" is the 23rd track of the NES soundtrack and the 28th track of the 3D soundtrack and plays at the Game Over screen.

There are two ways to obtain a Game Over outside of battle: attempting to cross the swamp surrounding Goldor Manor without the Levigrass Boots will cause the party to sink in the swamp, and attempting to pass the statues leading to the Ancients' Maze without all the Fangs will cause the party to be zapped to death on the spot. In both cases, the Game Over theme will play as the message "The party met an untimely end." appears on the screen.

Final Fantasy IV[]

There is no Game Over screen nor a Game Over theme. When Cecil and his allies have been knocked out, the player receives a message reading, "Perished..." at the top of the battle screen, and the screen fades to black. In the 3D remakes, the message is "The party has fallen".

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-[]

The Game Over is no different than the one from Final Fantasy IV.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[]

The Game Over is no different than the one from Final Fantasy IV.

Final Fantasy V[]

"Requiem" is the 9th track on disc 1 of the complete soundtrack. It serves as the Game Over music.

The game will be over if the active party is defeated in battle. Otherwise, if the time limits at Karnak Castle and Sunken Walse Tower expire, or if the player takes too long between ending one boss fight and starting the second at Fork Tower, a Game Over will also occur.

Final Fantasy VI[]

"Rest in Peace" is the official track used as the Game Over theme.

Technically, there is no Game Over screen. Rather, it shows the party leader fall and then get up with a black background. Unlike future Game Over screens, it goes straight to the last save point instead of the title screen. Though gil and items are returned to the value of the last save, experience earned will not be penalized. Any event scenes occurring since the last save, however, will need to be repeated. Because the game returns to the last save point, it allows for the Airship glitch to trigger. There is also a glitch that occurs if the player is defeated 52 times in a row on the world map. If Banon is KO'd when traveling with the party, it counts as a game over.

If the player doesn't save and the party dies, the game will be over and one will have to restart from the beginning. There is also a Game Over glitch that involves the player getting multiple game overs while fighting on the world map.

There is also a way to obtain a Game Over outside of battling: if the player fails the Opera House scene four times, either through Celes failing to sing the right lyrics to Aria di Mezzo Carattere or the party failing to stop Ultros from ruining the performance, the game will end with the message "It looks like you weren't exactly born to be on stage...", before transitioning to the standard Game Over screen.

Certain other gameplay scenarios also result in a Game Over. For example, being crushed by the collapsing ceiling within Zone Eater's Belly results in an instant Game Over.

After "Rest in Peace" plays, the player will have to press any button to continue.

Final Fantasy VII[]

When the game is over, the camera pans up showing the dead characters, then cuts to a destroyed film reel (representing the story).

"Continue ?" is the track that plays on the Game Over screen. Afterward, the "Prelude" plays.

Players may receive Game Over if their entire party is flagged as dead during a battle, which can occur if all party members fall into Death, Petrify, or Imprisoned statuses. Party members are also flagged as dead if they are ejected by the Hungry enemy's Eat, the Ghost Ship enemy's Goannai, or the Ruby Weapon enemy's Whirlsand. The only other situation where a player may receive a Game Over is during the "No. 1 Reactor Bombing" on No. 1 Reactor: if the time limit expires before the player escapes, the reactor explodes with the party still inside and the game ends.

Game Over is the name of Cait Sith's ultimate Slots Limit Break which inflicts Death on all enemies. The opposite, the Slots Limit Break Death Joker, kills all party members and causes "Game Over" for the player unless they have a Final Attack Materia linked with a Materia that revives an ally (such as the Phoenix summon) and sufficient MP.

Unused text found in the game data assigned to the Beginner's Hall in Junon suggests there were initial plans for the player to be able to continue playing from the last save point upon being defeated in battle with all their accumulated experience points intact, similar to Final Fantasy VI.^[1] In the final game, however, the player is returned to the title screen after receiving a Game Over.

If the player defeats Emerald Weapon when there are eight seconds left on the timer, the Battle Results screen will overlap with the Game Over screen, resulting in the Emerald Weapon countdown glitch.

If the player gets a Game Over in the PlayStation 4 version, they earn the trophy Failure IS An Option.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-[]

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]

The screen fades to black with the game's logo appearing on the bottom-right. The words "Game Over" do not appear. The player will be redirected back to the save point in English versions if they died while on a mission. In Japanese version, it functions normally regardless of what event. The game ends when Zack is defeated in battle and if he falls off the edge while fighting Sephiroth.

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis[]

If the player is defeated or otherwise retires from a battle, a blue bar with the words "GAME OVER" will appear over the center of the screen. Where permitted, the player has the option of spending 100 Crystals of any color to revive and continue where they fell. Certain storyline missions will also allow the player to retire and suspend the mission in progress; should the player elect to do so, they will return to the story scene immediately before the battle they retired from when they later return. In the case that a scoring timed battle ends gracefully, "FINISH" will appear instead.

Final Fantasy VII Remake[]

The conditions for a Game Over are largely identical to the original game. In the event of a Game Over, a remixed version of "Continue?" plays in the background. The player is given the option to continue from an autosave checkpoint, load a manual save file, or return to the title.

Autosave checkpoints can be particularly helpful in scripted sequences, such as the motorcycle chase to the Employee Housing District; a Game Over can be triggered if Cloud or Avalanche members fall during the chase. However, depending on the difficulty level and where they fell, the autosave will restart the chase from the last checkpoint passed. All allies have their integrity gauges restored.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth[]

Final Fantasy VIII[]

The Game Over screen is a monochromatic screen showing Squall's Revolver with the gun section broken off near a white feather, like those associated with Rinoa. The Game Over screen appears when the the player is defeated in most battles. There are also a number of opportunities in the story where the player will be given the option to give up where the result will be a Game Over. Despite being dream sequences, if the player's party dies as Laguna Loire, they will get a Game Over.

During the train mission in Timber, if the player fails at inputting the code in time, or if they are caught by a guard, they can give up and get a Game Over. When the D-District Prison is submerging into the sand, the player must move Squall to safety while the FMV is playing; failing to do so leads to a Game Over. During the Missile Base quest, if the missiles are launched without the party setting their error ratio to maximum, Balamb Garden will be destroyed in an FMV leading to a Game Over. During the sequence in which Laguna fights a Ruby Dragon, if the player fails, they can choose to either try again or give up. Giving up will result in a Game Over. This is also true if Squall loses his event battle with the flying paratrooper and the player chooses to give up, or if the player gives up after Rinoa is lost in space. For all three events, so long as the player does not give up, infinite retries are allowed.

During the Adel boss battle, Rinoa (junctioned to Adel) dying spells a Game Over.

After a Phoenix Pinion item has been used in battle once, the Phoenix summon has a chance of reviving players in the battle to prevent a Game Over when all characters are flagged as dead, either through the KO or Petrify statuses. However, if the player is playing in Ultimecia Castle and the "resurrection" option is sealed, then the attempt will fail, resulting in a Game Over.

"The Loser", the 11th track of the Final Fantasy VIII: Original Soundtrack, is the game over tune. It features the "Prelude's" melody.

Final Fantasy IX[]

The Game Over screen shows Zidane's dagger in the middle of a forest with Garnet's pendant hanging from it. The screen will appear in most cases when there is no longer a party member who can act in the party.

During the Prison Cage boss fight, Garnet or Vivi dying results in a Game Over. During the Black Waltz 2 boss fight, a Game Over will occur if Dagger is the only alive party member, and she hasn't revived one of the fallen party members. Black Waltz 2 will put her to sleep before spiriting her away. If Zidane fails to make it to Garnet when rescuing her in Alexandria Castle, it results in a Game Over.

Eiko's Phoenix summon has a chance to spontaneously revive the party to prevent a Game Over when a party is annihilated in battle.

"Game Over" is the 22nd track of the Final Fantasy IX: Original Soundtrack and plays on the Game Over screen.

Final Fantasy X[]

The camera pans out from the last KO'd party member or the entire KO'd party and the colored words "Game Over" appear (an exception being when the party is defeated by Sin's Overdrive, in which case the screen turns white). Depending on the stage of the game, the party member's last words may be heard before "Game Over" appears.

"Game Over" is the track that plays as the background music of the Game Over screen which borrows its melody from "Suteki Da Ne (Isn't It Wonderful?)".

Final Fantasy X-2[]

The Game Over screen has the words Game Over appear with added ripples around the screen.

The Game Over screen also appears if the player loses to any enemy team in the Fiend World Cup when it first appears as the Fiend portal. In this case, the Celsius is seen exploding.

Final Fantasy XI[]

While there is no actual Game Over, the music "Blackout" is played when a character's health reaches 0 and a certain percentage of experience points is lost. When this happens, the player can choose to return to their Home Point or wait to be revived by another player. If they are not revived by another player within one hour they will automatically be returned to their Home Point.

Final Fantasy XII[]

The screen turns crimson with the words "Game Over" appearing. This only occurs if all active and reserve party members are KO'd in battle, regardless of whether a Guest is present or not.

A Game Over also occurs when the active party is crushed by the Demon Wall, in which case the screen will turn black instead of crimson.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings[]

The battle scene turns gray and moves to the party leader. The words "Game Over" appear in blood red, and the party gains a little Experience and will fail the quest that is tracked. The player returns to the last save point, rather than the main menu.

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Once the party leader has been defeated, they will say a defeat quote and the camera zooms out to show the other party members falling. Words written in the Cocoon alphabet appear before their transition into English to spell out "Game Over". The game will ask if the player would like to repeat the battle or return to the last save.

An ambient track named "Game Over", written by Mitsuto Suzuki, plays during this sequence.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

An identical menu appears upon defeat of the characters in battle, prompting the player to either retry or quit. During Coliseum battles, the game asks the player if they want to quit, retry from the last battle, or to choose a new challenge.

The song "Hollow Seclusion" is played in the Game Over screen.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]

Falling in battle is not invariably a Game Over, though being forced to escape a battle will reduce the amount of time left in the world by one hour in Normal and Hard difficulty. If the player runs out of time, a cinematic will play of the Apocalypse, followed by the text "And so the world ends" before displaying "Game Over". The player is then given the option to start a New Game+ with all previously-acquired equipment, abilities and stats retained.

Final Fantasy XIV[]

In the defunct legacy version, there is no actual Game Over sequence due to the game being an MMORPG. When a player is downed, their character collapses to the ground and the player is asked if they wish to return to their home point. The player can also wait for another player to revive them.

In A Realm Reborn, if the player fails to complete a mission, "Duty Failed" will appears on screen and the game will take the player back to the spot before the quest. If the duty was failed due to the death of the player, the player character will be revived automatically. Originally, the player would remain dead after returning to the original location.

Final Fantasy XV[]

The game ends when Noctis's maximum HP falls to zero. You can then load your most recent save or simply return to the title screen.

Loading screen

The game is over when the lead character dies. If the lead character's HP drops to 0, he will enter a Danger state where his maximum HP starts draining. If the character's maximum HP is drained to 0, he is downed. Danger can be removed by recovering HP by any means, and getting KO'd still gives the player a few seconds to recover with a Phoenix Down. If the lead character is caught in a QTE attack during Danger state, the game locks into an instant game over, as items cannot be used during QTEs.

When playing on Easy difficulty, Carbuncle will revive the lead character whenever they are KO'd. If the "no help" sign appears in battle, Carbuncle will be unable to save the lead character.

At the start of chapter 4, the player has to keep up with the imperial chancellor, Ardyn Izunia, while manually driving. If the player fails to keep up, the party exits the car and the game ends. If the player loses Ardyn while the Regalia is moving, the car will stop and the game ends.

During a train attack by the imperials, the player must protect the Magna Fortia. If it is destroyed, the game is over.

Once in Gralea, the party has to escape in the Regalia before the gate closes. If the party does not reach it in time, the game will show the gate closed then transition to the game over screen. This happens also when the player does not make it to the hangar gate in nineteen seconds in the Zegnautus Keep.

During the Lonely Rumblings of the Longwythe quest, there is a timer to escape from the rousing adamantoise. If the player doesn't leave the area within the time limit, the game ends.

If the Regalia Type-F crashes while flying, it will be an instant game over. Jumping into Taelpar Crag with the Regalia Type-D (e.g. when crossing the bridge near Secullam Pass) will lead to a game over as well. A party member will shout a unique line and the screen will fade to black as the Regalia lands on the bottom.

In Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn, when Ifrit grabs Ardyn, choosing to wait several seconds rather than pressing the button prompt will incinerate Ardyn, leading to a game over. The same happens when attempting to finish off Somnus, though the battle must be fought all over again.

In Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis, when Ignis is knocked out, he can still move by crawling. The game will prompt the player to use an item to continue or the game ends. In the alternate ending, if the player chooses to give up instead of risking, runs out of time while fighting Ardyn with the Ring of the Lucii, or if Ignis dies, the bad ending will play and the game is over. Losing to Noctis in a Friendly Match also spells game over.

At the end of Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto, if Immortalis gets too close to the snowmobile and its blast reaches the player, it will obliterate Prompto and Aranea and the game will end.

When the game ends, the screen fades to black and displays "Game Over" in red. The player may then load the most recent save, or return to the title screen. Should the game end during a boss or main story event, the player is presented with the option to continue from the last saved checkpoint.

When fighting Garuda, Carbuncle won't be able to save the lead character. If the player gets a game over, they will have the option to retry the battle by continuing from the last checkpoint. Oddly, the "no help" sign does not appear in battle.

The game over theme is "End of the Road". It was performed live at Final Fantasy XV Live at Abbey Road Studios concert.

Final Fantasy XVI[]

The player gets Game Over if Clive falls in battle to 0 HP. They can continue from the nearest obelisk when on the overworld or check-point when inside a dungeon without losing any gains made and with potions and high potions fully replenished.

Final Fantasy Tactics[]

If the entire controllable party is incapacitated (either by KO or Petrify, Guest characters are not considered), or Ramza Beoulve falls in battle and is not revived before turning into a crystal, the screen turns black and the words "Game Over" appear in ice blue. The player will be returned to the title screen.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance[]

The screen slowly fades to black and the words "Game Over" appear. This usually happens if Marche dies at a Jagd, sent to prison, snuffed, or the entire party has been KO'd at a story battle. The Game Over theme is "Defeated by Sleep". The player will be returned to the title screen.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift[]

"Defeated by Sleep" is listed the 12th track on Disc Two of the soundtrack. It is again the Game Over music.

Final Fantasy Type-0[]

To get a game over, all of Class Zero must fall in battle. In some boss fights (e.g. Nimbus, Chapter 6's Gilgamesh, Shinryu Celestia, Rursan Arbiter), the game will still continue if all cadets fall.

In situations where waves of enemies must be outlasted and all active cadets fall, waiting too long to load in a new cadet will result in a Game Over.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest[]

There is no Game Over screen, but the player is given a choice to restart the battle against the enemy/enemies that defeated them. The player can accept to re-battle the enemy/enemies, or simply give up. Choosing to give up takes the player back to the opening screen where the player will have to start from their last save. If the player chooses to give up, they will lose all obtained EXP, items, and GP. A melancholic music track plays during the choosing sequence.

The Final Fantasy Legend[]

If all units are dead or turned to stone, the game will end with a message, "The party is lost...." while the sad tune plays. Pressing the A or B button on the Game Boy will return the player to the title screen, where they can load the most recent save.

Final Fantasy Legend II[]

When the party has been defeated, they will be sent back to the title screen, allowing them to continue from their last save. This only occurs after the party has defeated Odin in Valhalla Palace. Before Odin's defeat, the party will have a chance at retaking the battle they were defeated.

Final Fantasy Legend III[]

There is no Game Over screen but the player is given a choice to restart the battle against the enemy/enemies that defeated them or simply give up. Choosing to give up takes the player back to the opening screen where they will have to start from the last save and lose all obtained EXP, items, and GP.

A melancholic music track plays during the choosing sequence. The only exception to this rule occurs during the game's final battle, in which the player is not given the option to start the battle over. Instead, the game cuts directly to the opening screen.

Final Fantasy Adventure[]

A text box is displayed at the top of the screen with the words, "Sumo fell." centered inside it, else if the Boy is not named Sumo, then the player's entry appears instead. A melancholy tune plays. Pressing any button on the Game Boy returns to the title screen.

Adventures of Mana[]

A blue text box may appear at the top or bottom of the screen with the words, "Sumo fell to the ground." while also playing the melancholy tune from the player's selected score. Tapping the screen (or pressing a button on the PlayStation Vita) will return to the title screen. As the remake has built-in auto-save, the player can continue from the last point captured, but will do so with only the amount of HP and MP available at the time of being knocked out.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light[]

There is no Game Over screen, but if all of the party is knocked out the "Defeat" song will play and the party appears back in the last town they saved their game at. Losing this way has the player lose Gems unless they equip the Freelancer Job.

Final Fantasy Dimensions[]

When all members of the party are Knocked Out, a message will appear, saying "Party Vanquished". If the battle is not a superboss battle, the start screen will appear. In a superboss battle, namely Ω Weapon, Gigantuar and Adamantoise, the party will be taken back to the Gladiators' Hall.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]

After the player's character is defeated the character will stagger and fall to the ground as the camera rotates around him or her, and he or she will mutter a defeat quote.

The word "Defeated..." (or "Lose" in the Japanese version), written in red, will appear on-screen, along with subtitles of the character's defeat quote, and a melancholic music track named "Defeat Fanfare" will play. The screen will darken, and a menu will pop up offering the player to retry the battle or retreat.

The only time the words "Game Over" appear in-game is in the Labyrinth (Duel Colosseum in Dissidia) when an entire party is wiped out. The player will be returned to the main menu.

The 4th track of the original soundtrack, called "A Brief Respite", is a rendition of the original "Dead Music" from the original Final Fantasy.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT[]

The track that plays when the player has lost is a short, remixed version of the "Dead Music" theme from the original Final Fantasy. The losing character says a defeat line before the screen transitions to the results screen. When the character is incapacitated, the player will have 10 seconds to press "O" to continue the battle. The words, "Game Over" will appear in the results screen on the top of the score.

Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia[]

A 5-second remix of "Dead Music" will play. The words "QUEST FAILED", styled in a red italic serif font, also materialize quickly. The player is then returned to the last map attempted.

If instead continuing is allowed, the player will be given the option to spend 100 Gems to revive the active party and resume the battle, with all damage scored against the enemy remaining as it was at the time of the last KO. All supplementary skills are also recharged to their fullest. Players should also note that any "no continue" and "no KO" objectives will be missed and their rewards not given. A battle's overall score suffers major deductions, as the number of player turns to complete it may increase sharply.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy[]

A Game Over will occur when the character runs out of HP.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]

Pictlogica Final Fantasy[]

Final Fantasy All the Bravest[]

When all characters are eliminated, the player is said to have "wiped". The screen fades slightly, and a help screen appears explaining the situation. The player will have to wait for three minutes per character for them to regenerate or use an hourglass to fully restore the wiped-out party. All damage in battle remains as scored when the player resumes.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]

A message will appear stating that the party was defeated. However, Dr. Mog offers the player the option of expending Mythril or Gems to revive all of their party members.

Should the player take Dr. Mog up on this offer, they can draw one of four randomized cards after reviving the party. Each card gives the party a bonus to their HP, attack (ATK and MAG), defense (DEF and RES), or ability uses, before returning to battle, beginning from the round they were defeated on. This can happen multiple times, with the effects from the cards stacking, until the player finally wins or retreats from the dungeon.

If the player declines the offer, they are returned to the realm that housed the dungeon the party was defeated in. If they fell in battle fighting against a boss, Dr. Mog will offer a tip about how to better fight that boss in the future.

The Game Over theme is currently "Requiem" from Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]

The game is over when all units, including the player's chosen companion, are KO'd in battle. At this point, the player will be given an opportunity to spend 100 Lapis to continue fighting and, should the player choose to continue, the battle will resume immediately from the point where the party was defeated; any enemies felled at such a point will not respawn, and all progress in defeating an enemy is retained. This may continue until the player quits, wins, or runs out of Lapis; but any objective marked "No continues" will be missed. If the player chooses to quit, they will instead resume play as of the last successful battle sequence and must replay the battle in which the party fell.

War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]

A Game Over occurs when all units fall or when the player chooses to retreat from battle. The screen fades to near-black as an airbrushed "Game Over" in crimson burns into view.

Mobius Final Fantasy[]

While there is no formal Game Over screen, the player's current character will fall to the ground once their HP reaches zero, at which point the player may choose to continue (provided that area rules allow it) or give up. As long as the player has at least one Phoenix Down in the inventory, continuing will allow the character to be revived with both full HP and a full Ultimate Gauge. If the player does not have a Phoenix Down, they will be directed to buy one or more using stocked magicite, with an option to purchase should the amount not be sufficient; if the player declines or otherwise chooses to give up, their progress will be marked at the last location successfully cleared on the area map.

King's Knight -Wrath of the Dark Dragon-[]

A Game Over occurred if:

• The quest was force-abandoned.
• In single-player mode:
  • All units other than the support unit selected were KO'd.
  • The player ran out of time versus The Chariot.
• In multiplayer mode, the player's unit was KO'd.

In situations where the player could continue, choosing so spent a small amount of Regalite to resurrect the unit/party. If continuing was not possible, or the player chose to give up, the screen was washed over in red, with the words "GAME OVER" in the center. The player was returned to the map screen to select a quest or access the menus to explore other options.

World of Final Fantasy[]

If the player's party falls in most battles, a message will say, "The party was defeated..." and they are sent back to Nine Wood Hills with whatever items and Gil they acquired before they were defeated. A Game Over will occur if the player's party falls in boss battles with a threshold, any battle during Chapter 14, and in any battle in Castle Exnine, the game's final dungeon. The Game Over screen shows a tired Tama and the words "Game Over". Pressing any button will return the player to the title screen.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin[]

If Jack falls in battle to 0 HP, the player may choose to continue or to abandon the mission. If the option to continue is chosen, the party will be revived at the last activated cubes. The party members falling in battle will not lead to a game over, and they can be either revived manually by Jack or after the fight is over.

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