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Silent Hill 2: ultimate replay guide

Bloober Team's remake of the classic Konami horror features eight endings, two of which are brand new. Discover tips to see them all, direct from the developers.

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The 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake features eight endings, including two that are brand new, and reworked unlock requirements for the original six. To achieve each ending, you’ll need to either adopt a specific playstyle or, in some cases, follow specific steps, as even unexpected actions will influence which outcome you get.  To help make your repeat trips through town a little easier, we’ve put together a list of handy instructions for unlocking six of these endings—including any Trophies they’ll net you.  

Spoilers ahead!

While we’ve not described exactly what happens in them, the ending names and requirements could be considered spoilers, so we’d recommend reading on only after completing your first playthrough.

New Game endings

The 'Leave', 'In Water', and 'Maria' endings can all be earned on a first playthrough. Which one you get is determined by a combination of factors. How you take care of James, whether you fight or flee from enemies, and how much time you spend with Maria all have an influence, alongside a few specific actions and choices.

You should also keep in mind that by the time you leave the long ‘conversation with Mary’ corridor at the Lakeview Hotel, your ending will have been decided, after which there’s no turning back.

'Leave' ending
'In Water' ending
'Maria' ending

How to unlock the ‘Leave’ ending

To achieve the Leave ending and earn the 'Making Peace' Silver Trophy, you’ll want to play conservatively, avoid combat, keep James healthy and stay focused on your goal: Mary.

Choices

  • Choose the Snake Coin in the coin puzzle at the Wood Side Apartments. 

  • Choose one of the innocent prisoners at the gallows in Toluca Prison.

  • Use the Rotten Apple in the mirror puzzle at the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Go through the door with the Rust-Coloured Egg in the Lakeview Hotel.

Interactions

  • Listen to the entire conversation with Mary in the corridor at the end of the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Occasionally examine Mary’s photo and letter.

  • Avoid spending more time with Maria than absolutely necessary.

Combat

  • Run away from Pyramid Head during your first fight with him.

  • Avoid killing enemies wherever possible.

  • Keep James in top condition, healing often and quickly.

How to unlock the ‘In Water’ ending

The Water ending, which unlocks the 'Only Way Out' Silver Trophy, requires aggressive and reckless play. Kill whatever you can, stomp enemies while they’re down and don’t be afraid to leave James battered and bruised for extended periods.

Choices

  • Choose the Man Coin in the coin puzzle at the Wood Side Apartments.
  • Choose one of the innocent prisoners at the gallows in Toluca Prison.
  • Use the Rotten Apple in the mirror puzzle at the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Go through the door with the Rust-Coloured Egg in the Lakeview Hotel.

Interactions

  • Read the second message to James on the wall in Neely's Bar.

  • Listen to the whole conversation with Mary in the corridor at the end of the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Occasionally examine Mary’s photo and letter.

  • Occasionally look at Angela’s Knife in your inventory. 

  • Avoid spending more time with Maria than absolutely necessary.

Combat

  • Deal Pyramid Head as much damage as you can during your first fight with him.

  • Kill the defenceless monsters in the corridors before the Twin Pyramid Head fight.

  • Leave James on low health for long periods without healing.

  • Kill as many enemies as possible throughout the run.

  • Stomp dead monsters to make sure they're down.

How to unlock the ‘Maria’ ending

As you might expect, the Maria ending is your reward for pining after Mary’s mysterious doppelganger and earns you the 'Vicious Circle' Silver Trophy. Spend time with Maria, check in on her when she’s sick and protect her as best you can.

Choices

  • Choose the Woman Coin in the coin puzzle at the Wood Side Apartments.

  • Choose one of the guilty prisoners at the gallows in Toluca Prison.

  • Use the Ripe Apple in the mirror puzzle at the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Go through the door with the Scarlet Egg in the Lakeview Hotel.

Interactions

  • Explore the west side of South Vale with Maria, checking out the garage, motel room and the entrance to Baldwin Mansion together.

  • Interact with the various items scattered throughout Heaven’s Night.
  • Check on Maria after she gets sick in the Hospital.

  • Re-enter the room where you find Maria in the Labyrinth.

Combat

  • Protect Maria in combat, ensuring she takes minimum damage from monsters.

New Game+ endings

While 'Leave', 'In Water' and 'Maria' can all be earned on a first playthrough, choosing New Game+ mode unlocks five additional endings. These include three from the original game: 'Rebirth', 'Dog' and 'UFO', and two brand-new endings: 'Bliss' and 'Stillness'. 

Unlike the New Game endings, these ones aren't influenced by how you play but require you to follow specific steps which are only possible in New Game+ mode. 

How to unlock the 'Rebirth' ending

  • Choose New Game+ when starting a new game.

  • Collect the Crimson Ceremony item from Toluca Graveyard.

  • Collect the White Chrism from the front porch of Baldwin Mansion.

  • Collect the Obsidian Goblet from the Historical Society.

  • Collect the Lost Memories book from the Lost and Found room of the Lakeview Hotel.

  • Finish the game as normal.

Reaching the 'Rebirth' ending earns the 'Defy Even Death' Silver Trophy.

How to unlock the ‘Dog’ ending

  • Choose New Game+ when starting a new game.

  • Collect part of a Broken Key from The Pet Centre in east South Vale.

  • Collect another part of a Broken Key from the backyard of a house on Katz St.

  • Combine both parts and use the key to open the Observation Room on the third floor of the Lakeview Hotel.

Reaching the 'Dog' ending unlocks 'The Goodest Boi' Silver Trophy.
 

How to unlock the 'UFO’ ending

  • Choose New Game+ when starting a new game.

  • Collect the Blue Gem item from the Jewellery Shop on the east side of South Vale.

  • Investigate the Blue Gem from the Key Items menu in your Inventory in the following locations:

    - on the roof of Saul Street Apartments.

    - on the pier in Rosewater Park.

    - on the pier near the Lakeview Hotel.

    - in room 312 of the Lakeview Hotel.

    (The Blue Gem will glow when investigated in the right spot.)

Achieving the 'UFO' ending will trigger the 'Tinfoil Hat' Silver Trophy.

New remake endings

Like 'Rebirth', 'Dog' and 'UFO', both new endings to Silent Hill 2 ('Bliss' and 'Stillness') can only be achieved on New Game+.

The dev team would love for you to discover these brand-new endings yourself, so we won’t go into specifics here. What we can say is that the 'Bliss' ending will take you on a scavenger hunt across town (Nathan Avenue would be a good place to start...) and for 'Stillness' you’ll need to have already seen the 'In Water' ending on a previous run.

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Platform:
PS5
Release:
7/10/2024
Publisher:
Konami
Genres:
Horror
Voice:
English, Japanese
Screen Languages:
Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Mexico), Ukrainian
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