History VideoGame / WhiteDayALabyrinthNamedSchool

A sequel, ''White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies'', was released from February 2023.

The game was released in Korea for [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] in 2001 with an English European release planned by the UK-based 4AM Entertainment in 2004 (even including translated screens from the import game), but [[NoExportForYou it was unfortunately cancelled]]. In the same year of cancelled localization, the game was re-released with six other games developed by Sonnori[[note]](the other games are ''Astonishia Story'', ''Darkside Story'', ''Forgotten Saga'', ''Steel Empire'', ''Arcturus'', and ''Astonishia Story R'')[[/note]] during their [[MilestoneCelebration 10th anniversary]] in the ''Romance of Package'' compilation. The game was quite notable for several patches on the creator's site made to tone down the creepiness factor due to complaints from people being too terrified to finish the game and locked the real horrors away in the harder difficulties. It was later released on mobile phones in 2009 but sacrificed the 3D graphics for still images that hampered the atmosphere of the game.

While regarded by many as a cult classic, the game had been seen by many as not having a chance of a sequel or re-release... However, in early 2016, it was announced it would be re-released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, made to be used with its new VR technology, and completely redone from the ground up. An Android and [=iOS=] version of the remake has been released overseas in April 2016 under the title ''The School: White Day'', with a PC version that was quickly greenlit for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and was finally released on August 22, 2017 and can be purchased [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/466130/White_Day_A_Labyrinth_Named_School/ here]]. It was also released for [=PS4=] the same month.

* FanservicePack: One of the DLC packs for the remake is the "Swimsuit pack" which allows you to dress all the characters in swimsuits. So-yeong and Seong-ah both don pretty revealing bikinis, and there's bouncing aplenty thanks to this. Especially with [[BuxomIsBetter Seong-ah.]]

* FanservicePack: One of the DLC packs for the remake is the "Swimsuit pack" which allows you to dress all the characters in swimsuits. So-yeong and Seong-ah both don pretty revealing bikinis, and there's {{Gainaxing}} aplenty thanks to this. Especially with [[BuxomIsBetter Seong-ah.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Seong-Ah. Holy ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]'', Seong-Ah. [[spoiler:Though out of everyone in the school, [[BigDamnHeroes she is the only one who saves YOU.]] [[UpToEleven TWICE]]!]]

* KnifeNut: [[spoiler:Seong-ah's mother. You're the target.]]

* {{Meganekko}}: Ji-hyeon. Ironically enough, she also earned herself the nickname "Glasses Girl".

** [[spoiler:As freakin' ''nuts'' as she may be, Seong-Ah's mother is this. The reason she is so kill crazy? Would you not snap a little [[AdultFear if your child died in a fire and you could do]] ''[[AdultFear nothing]]'' [[AdultFear to help her?]]]]

** [[spoiler:The Hyacinth ending, where you make the SadisticChoice to save yourself and leave So-yeong unconscious to die. It helps that this flower means "I'm sorry".]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The demons possessing the janitors are trying to protect the spell keeping TheCorruption sealed away.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Seong-ah.]]

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:It turns out Seong-ah was already dead, and is possessed by the evil being that was trapped in the school all along.]]
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:Implied by a note from the janitor mentioning that he doesn't remember patrolling the school at night and he hopes that he's not contributing to the rising number of deaths at the school.]]

* EldritchLocation: The school is a haunted mess that has tens of ghosts haunting several rooms, a lot of it being students who died by suicide and at night, many of them come out to attack the students they find. Some parts of the school apparently have AlienGeometries that turn it into a labyrinth. A lot of character refer to the school as being cursed and it being at fault for a lot of the ghosts, and it seems to trap the souls inside of it.

* BiggerBad: [[spoiler:The Master of the Labyrinth, the one possessing Seong-ah to begin with.]]

* WomanInWhite: [[spoiler:Two of them. One of them seems fairly benign and occasionally appears to point out important items to you. The other one clings to the ceiling and you have to defeat her. Both are also examples of StringyHairedGhostGirl.]]

* AssShove: By getting a pair of gloves from the biology room, it's possible to do this to one of the janitors. [[spoiler:Doing so lets the player be able to steal a key which opens up a locker with a figure that gives you loads of lunchboxes.]]

* BatterUp: The janitor's favorite toy. RUN.

** [[spoiler:The Hyacinth ending where you make the SadisticChoice to save yourself and leave So-yeong unconscious to die. It helps that this flower means "I'm sorry".]]
** [[spoiler:The Tuberose (Ebony?) ending is this in a way. So-yeong is doomed, but Seong-ah is revived as a human and on your side. However, there is a [[TheStinger stinger]] moment though, with Seong-ah giving the camera a bit of a PsychoticSmirk, it leaves one to wonder if she really is on your side at that point. She may not be, if she's been possessed as she was in the So-yeong endings...[[OhCrap Uh-oh]]. There goes the [[BittersweetEnding sweetness]].]]
** [[spoiler:You can't save all the girls in any ending. Save ONE per ending. Choose Ji-hyeon, Seong-ah, or So-yeong. You can TakeAThirdOption where they all die except you. That is, at least overtly. Ji-hyeon is never directly involved in any of the plans and tends to be out of the way, so there's no reason to assume she dies in most endings even if she doesn't leave with you. For Seong-ah, there are implications it was never her to begin with, and she was already dead anyway, so she was arguably never in the running to be saved.]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler: Seong-ah]]
* BiggerBad: [[spoiler: The Master of the Labyrinth, the one possessing Seong-ah to begin with.]]

* CheckPointStarvation: Hard mode cuts down the number of pens available, making it much more strenuous on your progress. Real mode, however, the game eliminates your ability to save your game by removing the pens altogether.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Not ALL the ghosts want you dead...
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler: It turns out Seong-ah was already dead, and is possessed by the evil being trapped in school all along.]]

* DeathByFallingOver: The fourth floor's broken guard rails. [[spoiler:Doesn't stick. The mother comes back though she can't run]].

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:It ''is'' a survival horror game. The Ivy ending takes the cake though. Heartwarming at first glance. [[FridgeHorror Then you realize]] Ji-hyeon's comment " Oh...Its warm." means that she and the hero are dying. After all it was so cold they could see their breath. Although it's a bit ambiguous, as there was just an inferno in the room and it would make sense to be warm, and the cold breath is always an effect in the game and the developers could simply have forgotten to turn it off in that scene.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Wow do you ever.

* EldritchLocation: The school is a haunted mess that has tens of ghosts haunting several rooms, a lot of it being students who died by suicide and at night, many of them come out to attack the students they find. Some parts of the school apparently have AlienGeometries that turn it into a Labyrinth. A lot of character reefer to the school as being cursed and it being at fault for a lot of the ghosts, and it seems to trap the souls inside of it.
* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler: Seong-ah.]]

* FanservicePack: One of the DLC packs for the remake is the "Swimsuit pack" which allows you to dress all the characters in swimsuits. So-young and Seong-A both don pretty revealing bikinis, and there's {{Gainaxing}} aplenty thanks to this. Especially with [[BuxomIsBetter Seong-A.]]
* FlowerMotifs: [[spoiler:The titles of the endings you chosen depend on your action during this game: White Chrysanthemum (Truth), Hyacinth (Sorrow/Forgive Me), Ivy (Friendship), Tuberose (Dangerous Pleasure), Ebony (Hypocrisy/Darkness), Dandelion (Sincerity/Happiness), Althea (Consumed By Love), and Yew (Death).]]
* FunWithAcronyms: [[spoiler:All the ending titles are acronyms for WHITE DAY]], which is very surprising considering that there wasn't even an English Translation of the game for many years.
* GameBreakingBug: One in particular if the game is played on non-Korean [=PC=]s; in Chapter 3 of the game, if you get caught by one of the ceiling monsters, your game will freeze, you fly out of the map and become stuck with no way of getting out. The only way around this is to load your previous save and try to avoid being caught again, although this could be rage-inducing if you're playing on Real mode which strips you of your ability to save. Thankfully this was fixed in v16 of Unnamed's Improved Version.

* HarderThanHard: [[NintendoHard Real]] mode. All the horrors the game has to offer that were locked away in lesser difficulty levels due to complaints of game's fear factor are in full effect here. Also, you cannot save your game on Real. And there's a time limit to boot! Didn't finish the game within midnight (in-game)? [[NonStandardGameOver Sucks]].

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:A boss takes place in an inferno If you help Ji-hyeon after the boss fight it becomes the FinalBoss. Also a very important plot point has to do with fire. Seong-ah's death as well as her mother's descent into madness.]]

* MsFanservice: Seong-Ah has certainly become this in the remake since most of her DLC costumes were designed to show off her figure (especially her swimsuit). Hell, her latest one is called "Sexy Santa", which looks exactly like what you'd expect.
* MultipleEndings: Several as long as you don't play the game on any difficulty below Normal. [[spoiler:From worst to best: Yew, Ivy, Althea, Tuberose, Ebony, Hyacinth, Dandelion, and White Chrysanthemum]].

* RewatchBonus: When the fire alarm goes off at the beginning of the game, it just seems like an annoying obstacle that takes you into a really weird room. By the end of the game, or on a second playthrough, you might realize that [[spoiler: it was actually the first haunting]], and [[{{Foreshadowing}} the girl who was so freaked out]] by the sound was [[spoiler:the one killed in the event it was repeating]].
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:Whichever girl you help potentially dooms the other two to a FateWorseThanDeath]].

* TemporaryPlatform: [[spoiler:The last level as escaping the school. Whether or not you take So-yeong with you is up to you.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Seong-Ah. Holy ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]'' Seong-Ah. [[spoiler: Though out of everyone in the school, [[BigDamnHeroes she is the only one who saves YOU.]] [[UpToEleven TWICE]]!]]

** [[spoiler:As freakin' NUTS as she may be Seong-Ah's mother is this. The reason she is so kill crazy? Would you not snap a little if your child died in a fire and you could do NOTHING to help her?]]
** [[spoiler: Also it's implied the janitor is possessed.]] Explains a lot.
** [[spoiler: Seong-Ah herself.]]
* UpdatedRerelease: Unnamed Studios' Improved Version of the game, albeit a fan-made updated re-release, contains some changed things (such as all difficulties available from the start), added some extras features (skins/costumes for the female characters), and removed a lot of glitches and crashes. v15.9 also added a multiplayer component.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The student that's presumably killed by the janitor at the beginning of the game is never directly acknowledged and has no known reason to be at the school after closing unlike the rest of the cast. Presumably this was to show that the janitor is a threat for the sake of the gameplay, but it might be leftover from one of the earlier versions of the game that had a bigger cast.
* WhenTreesAttack: When finally run into So-Yeong early into the game, she gets roped in by an evil tree and you have to save her quickly if you want her to survive.
* {{Wildcard}}: The protagonist's decision to enter the school at night could either [[SpannerInTheWorks hinder the plan of the BigBad]] or help it along.
* WomanInWhite: [[spoiler: Two of them. One of them seems fairly benign and occasionally appears to point out important items to you. The other one clings to the ceiling and you have to defeat her. Both are also examples of StringyHairedGhostGirl.]]

* BadassGrandpa: Lee-Bong-gu is a villainous example. The man is pushing 60 and has a pretty bad limp, but he'll beat you to death easily if he corners you.

** An official remake of the game is coming out in 2016 for the [=PS4=], complete with graphics redone from the ground up, a new game engine, and compatibility with [=PlayStation=] VR.

* NonActionGuy: You have two options when being pursued: run, or die.

* {{Tsundere}}: Seong-Ah. Holy ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]'' Seong-Ah. [[spoiler: Though out out of everyone in the school, [[BigDamnHeroes she is the only one who saves YOU.]] [[UpToEleven TWICE]]!]]

While regarded by many as a cult classic, the game had been seen by many as not having a chance of a sequel or re-release... However, in early 2016, it was announced it would be re-released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, made to be used with its new VR technology, and completely redone from the ground up. An Android and [=iOS=] version of the remake has been released overseas in April 2016 under the title ''The School: White Day'', with a PC version that was quickly greenlit for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and was finally released on August 22, 2017 and can be purchased [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/466130/White_Day_A_Labyrinth_Named_School/ here]]. It was also released for PS4 the same month.

It doesn't take long for the place to go from moody and dark into [[NightmareSequence a full-blown nightmare]] as parts of the school begin to grow dilapidated, an [[AxCrazy insane]] janitor goes to town on a seemingly random adult before he starts coming for you, and two girls that seem pretty unfazed about the school turning into a hellish nightmare. [[FromBadToWorse And everything goes downhill from there]]...

Since the cancellation of the localization and Sonnori closing up shop, the game itself has become something of a rarity with a few people seeding torrents and file downloads in an attempt to [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes keep a copy available]]. Unnamed Studios has been working on a fan-made translation/restoration project that translates the game and fixes the compatibility issues so it can be played on non-Korean [=PC=]s.

While regarded by many as a cult classic, the game has been seen by many as not having a chance of a sequel or re-release... However, in early 2016, it was announced it will be re-released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, made to be used with its new VR technology, and completely redone from the ground up. An Android and [=iOS=] version of the remake has been released overseas in April 2016 under the title ''The School: White Day'', with a PC version that was quickly greenlit for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and was finally released on August 22, 2017 and can be purchased [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/466130/White_Day_A_Labyrinth_Named_School/ here]].