Today sees the release of White Day: A Labyrinth Named School on the Playstation 4 (for EU users, at least. The North American release is set for next Tuesday, the 29th). This console-exclusive brings with it plenty of horror and drama, as well as a whole heap of endings and hidden lore.
The original White Day was first released back in 2001 by Korean developer Sonnori. It hit cult status, and was eventually remade for mobile devices in 2015 – garnering a small following in certain YouTube circles due to the game’s horror themes. Now, two years on, Playstation 4 players will have the chance to jump into the shoes of Lee Hui-min as he becomes trapped in the school and must find a way to escape.
For a parallel of the gameplay, think along the lines of Resident Evil 7: a first-person, horror-puzzler in which you must obtain keys and items to access new, larger areas of the school. The puzzles will sometimes be incredibly vague, but solutions are almost always available on either items you’ll obtain, or documents that can be found nearby.
It’s not only puzzles you’ll have to contest with, though; the school’s janitors act as malevolent night-watchmen who roam the school’s corridors, attacking anybody who stumbles into their path. They won’t just reprimand you, either: they carry a torch and steel bat, to physically beat anybody caught wandering the dark halls after hours. Turning on classroom lights and running will attract them, so it’s encouraged that you rely on the dim glow from your lighter to illuminate every shadowy corner and pitch-black room.
For the completionists out there, White Day also has a whole bunch of collectable lore that can be obtained through solving some of the game’s more challenging puzzles. There’s ghost stories which tell the tales of the school’s past, as well as documents which warn you of upcoming threats. Playing on the higher difficulties makes for a more dense adventure in terms of collectables and apparitions, but it also means you’ll suffer more damage from the janitors.
As mentioned, there’s also a potential ten endings to achieve by completing the game in a variety of ways. Sometimes this means interacting with the game’s characters in certain ways, whereas others can be earned through playing on the highest difficulties. If you get tired of seeing the same characters again and again, unlockable costumes are also available which vary the game’s aesthetics.
So that’s all you need to know about this great horror title. There’s a chance it may go unnoticed due to it being a Korean import, but it shouldn’t, because it’s a genuinely scary and enjoyable adventure.
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