White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies - Complete Edition Review | PC

While 2024 is steadily ending, the horror genre keeps getting more attention with new releases. Granted, it doesn’t mean they’re all good or even remotely fitting into the genre. Some of these releases rely too heavily on boring tropes or predictable jump-scares, but what if you mix the usual horror tropes and predictability with a few unexpected turns? Well, Rootnstudio did just that with their first release, which also happens to be the sequel to White Day: A Labyrinth Named School.

 

This South Korean developer, while only being around since 2020, wanted to take the lead and answer a few questions left behind from the original story of White Day. However, you might be left with more questions than answers, but that’s what makes White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies - Complete Edition stand out so much. While this release might have started as an episodic game, we eventually got all 3 episodes in a complete edition. So, how do you feel about ghosts?

White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies takes you down the path of 3 different stories, each tied to the events of its predecessor in Yeondu High. Starting in the first episode, you’ll investigate rumors about Jang Sung-tae involving the death of a student, but Yeondu High has a much darker secret hiding in its seemingly endless hallways.

Episode 2 goes down a different rabbit hole as you take on the role of a former teacher-in-training with an interest in the occult. Seo-yeon’s main goal is to discover what really happened to her father while reversing an ancient ritual that keeps something trapped at the school. However, she is definitely not alone, and you’ll have to evade a malicious ghost that’s hellbent on ending your investigation and your life.

 

Lastly, Episode 3 takes another wild turn as you explore Yeondu High as Yoo Ji-min and a promise to help Han Na-young find peace in her afterlife. This is likely the most detailed episode of the three as it delves much deeper into the dark history of Yeondu High, the various relationships, and the climactic discovery that brings everything full circle. So, in short… You’re definitely in for a hell of a ride with White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies, provided you have the nerve to handle the dark side of it all.

One of the more important details to keep in mind is that White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies takes place one day after the events of White Day; for those who don’t know – Let’s just say it involves their version of Christmas and a killer janitor that ultimately ends up in a massive fire that took a good chunk of the school.

Several students and adults lost their lives, but Yeondu High’s more well-hidden secrets, not all the spirits of those who died, could move on. Those very same trapped spirits will now either lead you on or try to hunt you; your only objective is to solve each respective episode’s mystery and survive.

Now, everybody has their own way of interpreting things, but it should be noted that each episode somewhat adds to the others, but they also seem separate. However, while the first episode has its own story, it also serves as your introduction to White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies and gives you time to get used to everything. Unfortunately, it also forcibly slows down progression as you will spend more time going and forth than actually progressing.

 

On the other hand, Episode 1 also seems to be safe since you’ll mostly only have to deal with the odd jump-scare and creepy event as it builds that fear factor any horror lover will chase after. This isn’t to say that you’ll be safe the whole time; that would be dreadfully boring, and you’ll eventually have to deal with the looming threat of the possessed nightguards.

You can easily avoid them if you keep an ear out for them and stay out of sight by hiding in the many rooms. Alternatively, you can use a disposable camera to temporarily stun them and give yourself time to run for your life and find a new hiding spot. However, those cameras are extremely few and far between, so you’d be better off just sticking to stealth.

Episode 2 doesn’t offer the same kindness with a slow build-up, and instead of a possessed nightguard chasing after you, you’ll have a malicious spirit roaming around the halls. Your only option is to run and hope it loses interest in you so you can continue your investigation, though this is easier said than done. Unfortunately, the difficulty will only keep rising as you’ll have more threats to look out for while solving the mystery of your father’s death.

Lastly, as expected, Episode 3 will undoubtedly challenge your skills while wrapping up the story. Your choices and paths from the previous episodes will ultimately affect the endings you encounter; even a small change can make a difference. However, you’ll notice how the whole story comes together in the final episode and why you can’t quite jump to different episodes just for the sake of getting to the good part.

 

One of the more notable aspects of White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies has to be the puzzles, or maybe the entire game is a gigantic puzzle of sorts. You’ll need to explore the school in each episode, collect items, keys, and many other things to solve the various puzzles you’ll encounter, or simply progress past a locked door. It’s almost terrifying how easy it is to overlook a clue or a needed item, and you’ll likely find yourself going back and forth trying to find a key or puzzle piece simply because of how easily overlooked interactives are.

On the other side of the horror spectrum, White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies is quite literally overflowing with interesting lore that you’ll find all over the school, giving you more insight into what really happened. These might just be minor details, but every little bit helps contribute to the story as a whole while also giving you clues and, sometimes, a vague hint for alternate paths that you can follow for different endings.

Naturally, you’ll be hunted by either a malicious spirit or a possessed nightguard in any episode, but you can still get injured and possibly even die. The goal is to avoid either of these, but you’ll definitely take a few hits; luckily, it’s not the end, as you can recover as long as you’re in a safe place. This is a matter of perspective since you just need to ensure you’re not in immediate danger so you can hide anywhere to recover as long as it’s safe.

 

To save the best for last, no horror release would ever be complete without some horror, of course. White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies doesn’t disappoint with this, as each random scare really is random; you’ll be at the mercy of RNG and where you’ll be hit. However, what sets this apart is that you’ll come across a mix of predictable horror tropes and a few unexpected twists meant to throw you off and add a little unpredictability to the mix.

On the visual side, White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies still features the same Yeondu High from the first game but with some major improvements to the texturing that brings everything to the future. However, some jump-scare interactions can be recycled since they tend to be the same ghost; a little more variety is needed to drive the point home. Aside from that, there is a lot of visual appeal to admire, but there are parts where the texturing seems a little… Lacking, to say the least.

White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies shines in terms of sound engineering and the brilliant ambiance created by the eerie music. There is never a dull moment with how that ambient music ebbs and flows randomly, making you think danger is coming and keeping you ready to sprint. Now, we can’t forget about the voice acting either – The cinematic dialogues are alright, but the real star of this creep-fest is the voice acting for the spirits. You know you’re in trouble when you hear a creepy female voice casually singing as it moves from room to room.

 

Overall, White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies will definitely answer all the questions left behind by its predecessor while giving you a good scare when you least expect it. Aside from a slow start in the first episode, there’s never a dull moment as you explore the hallways of Yeondu High, and there’s always trouble around the corner. If you can look past the minor visual flaws, you’re in for a hell of a time with the adventure that awaits.
 

Jay Claassen (@R3GR3T_3NVY)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed