With today being the official launch on all platforms for the remake of White Day: A Labyrinth Named School by Pqube, I thought it would be time to give my opinion on this hidden-gem featuring an Asian horror adventure.
Story
In hopes of getting to know the cute girl at school, which you happened to have found her diary for, you play as the transfer student who gets the rudest awakening of how the school functions past 10p.m. and the horrors the haunt the school as well!
As you make your way through the school you can find notes and stories that tell of the different events happening in school, rumors being spread through the students, or the ghost stories of the spirits that continue to haunt the school! It was said to be an old hospital during the Korean war after all.
Gameplay
Bringing the classic first person, defenseless horror back to the front page, you will find that there are multiple things to keep in mind while making your way through the school halls and rooms.
While you can't defend yourself, hiding is again going to be your best friend and technique to get away from the janitor who "gets really angry when he finds students in the school after 10p.m." If he catches up to you, he is going to beat you down with a baseball bat! Sometimes you will have to resort to a bathroom stall, which is the best bet in most cases, but you can also duck behind a desk if you are able to get to the room fast enough.
The other terrors to look out for are the seemingly random ghost attacks. If you look really close, you can see a faint ghost character lurking the halls, but the best tell tale is the weird breathing-like noise it makes when nearby. The only way to avoid the ghost is to run away as fast as possible, but be careful because running will alert the janitor to your whereabouts!
Getting through the story and school is one of my favorite ways for a horror game to do it; full map puzzles. Basically, you have to find notes that give you hints as to where to find a specific tool or item that will assist you, but not always in an obvious way. The only example I will give, since it is going to give away part of how to beat it, is in the beginning chapter you find a note that tells you to get the key code from the old toolbox, but the toolbox only has a screwdriver set. You examine the screwdriver set and can find the pass code on the back of the handles to the screwdrivers.
I haven't even mentioned the timed puzzles when real events are happening in the most outrageous, horror fiction they could think of! The pressure is really on during this time, but with some steady breathing and clear thinking you should be able to figure it out!
Graphics
Visually this game looks like I am playing the story of an anime. From the way the characters look down to the ghosts and objects that fill in the story or scenery all give a huge anime feel to it. There is nothing wrong with this, as there are plenty of terrifying anime's out there, and it adds to how crazy some of the events that take place really are!
Sounds
There are a few times of silence which really bring out the footstep sounds that you make. Unfortunately, the footsteps sound more like a horse step rather than an organic human footstep. Other than that, the sounds were all pretty on point and eerie, including the audible notice that a ghost is lurking nearby! The worst part of this game, or best since it creeped me out every time, is the music that plays during the occasional section of the game!
Replayability
With multiple endings and a new game mode added for the remaster, which is an unlockable sequel story, this game has plenty of reasons to go back through and play it again! Not to mention the higher difficulties that will increase the challenge of completing this horror title.
Sequel story features Ji-min Yoo, a brand-new character, who takes center stage and faces the terrors of the night in a thrilling mystery that explores the history of the school and takes place during the events of the main game.
What Could Be Better
Some of the hints were very subtle and hard to understand what it was I was supposed to do. I think it would of been better to have a riddle or unfinished poem to figure out rather than constantly ending up getting chased as I try to run through the whole map looking for the one little clue I need to get to the real objective.
Final Verdict
A scary and challenging horror title that deserved the remaster it got! I look forward to playing through the the sequel story and getting through the game on its hardest difficulty. The music will always bring chills to me no matter how much I play this game, but that is only part of what will continue to keep me on my toes as I venture through the haunted school yet again!
