Are you struggling with the Silent Hill 2 remake gallows puzzle? In the original Silent Hill 2, players arriving at Toluca Prison faced a harrowing decision: judging the morality of crimes and whether their reasons justified the actions. This deeply unsettling segment perfectly amplified the themes of guilt woven throughout James Sunderland’s story.
The Silent Hill 2 remake elevates this challenge, requiring you to assemble six ominous poems before making your final, weighty choice. The correct answers for each puzzle vary based on your chosen riddle difficulty – Light, Normal, or Hard – and each poem presents an innocent and a not-so-innocent perspective. Ultimately, this gallows puzzle isn’t just a brain-teaser; it’s a profound moral quandary.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Gallows Poem Solutions
The Silent Hill 2 gallows puzzle features six distinct poems. Your task is to pair the second half of each poem with its first, specifically identifying the outcome for an innocent individual. While you don’t necessarily have to solve all six to proceed, understanding them all can significantly help in determining the correct final action. To successfully solve these, focus on the object, subject, rhyming patterns, and overall context. Each difficulty level presents unique riddles, and the innocent answers provided below should guide you correctly, even with potential randomization of the answer plates.
- Hard Difficulty
- Normal Difficulty
- Light Difficulty
On Normal and Hard puzzle difficulties, each poem typically has two potential solutions. On Hard, some answers might even seem to fit multiple poems, adding to the complexity. Remember, your ultimate goal is always to find the ‘innocent’ answer, as detailed below.
Hard Mode Solutions
Poem One (I)
Under veil of nightfall, in the ink of dusk,
A blazing inferno engulfs the wooden husk.
Screams of the innocent fill the night sky,
He, who hell let loose, now watches them die.
- Innocent Answer (I)
Death of the blameless, a damnable sin,
Wracked with guilt, his soul withers from within,
Yet among the pure, the vile also would also dwell.
Demons dressed in piety, they perished as well.
- Guilty Answer (I)
A contorted chill dances on his spine,
As their souls fly forth on Thanathos’ sigh.
No sign of regret, not a tinge of guilt,
But a fiery urge to destroy what God built.
Poem Two (II)
In twilight’s grasp, a thief emerges sly,
Through the veils of night, his purpose veiled, awry.
His nimble fingers, like whispers they glide,
In the goods of others, his needs doth reside
- Innocent Answer (II)
With hands atremble, he seizes what he must,
A wretched dance, fueled by hunger’s thrust.
Poverty’s embrace fuels his misdeeds,
Thieving to survive, the barest of needs.
- Guilty Answer (II)
His avarice driving every cunning theft,
No conscience stirs, no remorse is left.
Not a hunger’s pang, nor a desperate need,
but a heart consumed with relentless greed.
Poem Three (III)
In shroud of twilight, a tale doth unfold,
Where the shadows dance, their secrets are told.
A shadowy figure, his motives unclear,
Steals his own kin, one he should hold dear.
- Innocent Answer (III)
A cruel twist of fate, an outcome unsought,
The little one perishes, it was all for naught,
The kidnapper’s tears his motives reveal,
From a monstrous mother the child he did steal.
- Guilty Answer (III)
A tragic fruition, a mother’s despair,
Her heiress undone by the one she once loved,
Forsooth, it was not love that guided his clasp,
But a spiteful avarice one struggles to grasp.
Poem Four (IV)
In clandestine steps, darkness as his guide,
The man ventures deeper, where riches doth hide.
An unseen intruder with motives untold,
His hands eager to touch, to grab and to hold.
- Innocent Answer (IV)
Amidst the moon’s glow, a desperate truth,
The man’s life of pain and in peril, forsooth.
Sealed within these walls, his salvation lies,
Steal and live on, the ultimate prize.
- Guilty Answer (IV)
Beneath moonlit guise, a villain’s design,
He trespasses where treasures brightly shine.
With a selfish hand, with greed as his creed,
Claims the spoils, indulging every single need.
- Alternate Answer (IV)
A contorted chill dances on his spine,
As their souls fly forth on Thanathos’ sigh.
No sign of regret, not a tinge of guilt,
But a fiery urge to destroy what God built.
Poem Five (V)
With her senses falling, she looks, mouth agape,
At the one who forced her spirit to escape.
Cold steel pierces vein, a sanguine flood,
Gazing back at her, her own flesh and blood.
- Innocent Answer (V)
‘Twas a twisted fate that forced the man’s hand,
A son at mother’s mercy, his life in hell he’d spend.
Forsooth, not all killings are ones of ill will,
For the choice was clear, ’twas either her, or him.
- Guilty Answer (V)
Desperation’s grip suffocates the air,
The attacker’s past, a tale of despair.
A victim turned assailant, a tragic decree,
On this night of judgment, pain sets both men free.
Poem Six (VI)
In shadows cast, the hunter lies in wait,
His violent intent cloaked in a veil of fate.
An enigma unfolds, motives undefined,
As the prey approaches, their fates intertwine.
- Innocent Answer (VI)
As the spark of life from her eyes did flee,
The man held his gaze with wicked glee,
An unfeeling sigh the man’s lips doth escape,
A thirst for more bloodshed begins to take shape.
- Guilty Answer (VI)
The victim’s eyes wide with terror and fright,
The attacker’s nature now comes into light.
Vicious is his cause and marred with dark pride,
A show of brute strength, for all to abide.
Normal Mode Solutions
Poem One (I)
For your grace I do not plead, For the flames I did set free,
Sisters shrieked and children cried, No one made it out alive.
- Innocent Answer (I)
Though the young ones deaths I mourn, Their tormentors are no more,
On young souls the nuns did prey, Took their innocence away.
- Guilty Answer (I)
I watched them burn, I heard them cry, I felt a soothing warmth inside,
It felt so good, I cannot lie, And for my bliss, they had to die.
Poem Two (II)
The wealth of other I did take, The seventh statute I did break,
And yet my deeds I don’t regret, I had my reasons, that is that.
- Innocent Answer (II)
The reason, is I have to say, Was to survive another day,
To them, it was a loaf of break, To me, a cherished step ahead.
- Guilty Answer (II)
What were those reasons you might ask, The trust allow me to unmask
I see, I crave, I need, I take, ‘Tis all the sense it needs to make
Poem Three (III)
I took the child, you are quite right, Carried her off into the night,
She did not scream, she did not bawl, I was her father, after all.
- Innocent Answer (III)
Forgive me, child, for I have failed, To save you from her wretched ways,
She whom I loved, who gave you life, A monster hiding in plain sight.
- Guilty Answer (III)
My only daughter, joy of days, They wanted to take you away,
Hush, little baby, and be still, If I can’t have you, no one will.
Poem Four (IV)
Once the sun has ceased its reign, I cut through the rusty chain,
Pushed the door and snuck within, Filled my pockets to the brim.
- Innocent Answer (IV)
So my guilt is plain to see, I had robbed the pharmacy,
Yet, I did so not for gain, But so I could ease the pain.
- Guilty Answer (IV)
I departed with great haste, Leaving not a single trace,
Ever faithful to my creed, All is right which feeds my greed.
Poem Five (V)
Mommy dearest, Mommy sweet, Your love for me was so deep,
“Why, oh, why?” you shouted out, When my knife pierced your heart.
- Innocent Answer (V)
You broke my legs, I couldn’t walk, You pulled my teeth, I couldn’t talk,
You fed me pills to slow my mind, I took your life ‘fore you took mine.
- Guilty Answer (V)
You were, oh, so kind to me, Filled my heart with joy and glee,
In the end, it was for naught, “Why, oh, why?”, you ask. Why not?
Poem Six (VI)
I waited long, I bid my time, I waited to commit my crime,
The man appeared, he saw me not, A bloody end is what he got.
- Innocent Answer (VI)
In truth he was less man than beast, And on my flesh and soul he’d feast,
My will to live he’d try to break, There is so much a man can take.
- Guilty Answer (VI)
In truth, I did not hesitate, As my blade sealed the poor man’s fate,
He knew the rules, they are quite clear, Go against me, your end is near.
Light Mode Solutions
Poem One (I)
Hallowed was the place,
This one set ablaze.
- Answer One (I)
T’was the home of evil,
It had to be razed.
Poem Two (II)
This one took from others,
T’was a sinful deed.
- Answer Two (II)
Stealing not to eat,
But to feed his own greed.
Poem Three (III)
This one, he did kidnap,
His beloved daughter.
- Answer Three (III)
In a fit of anger,
Bloody end he brought her.
Poem Four (IV)
This one broke the lock,
To steal, I’ll tell you plain.
- Answer Four (IV)
One more place to plunder,
One more wrongful gain.
Poem Five (V)
This one dared,
To take his own mother’s life.
- Answer Five (V)
Did it just for pleasure,
Not over a strife.
Poem Six (VI)
This one clenched his fist,
And has pulled no punch.
- Answer Six (VI)
Turned against his bully,
Turned his brain to mulch.
Silent Hill 2 Gallows Noose Puzzle
To advance, James must activate the noose associated with an innocent person. Each noose is numbered one to six, corresponding to the poems. It’s important to note that more than one noose might lead to a technically ‘correct’ progression. Pulling the wrong noose sends you into a deadly pit, but don’t worry – you can simply climb back out and try again.
You’ll immediately know if you’ve chosen correctly by the camera’s perspective in the subsequent cutscene. If the camera is positioned behind James as he approaches the noose, you’ve made the wrong choice. However, if you’re looking at James’s face as he pulls the rope, you’re on the right track. Regardless of your choice, the floor will open, and you’ll fall.
Should you pull the noose of an innocent person, you can simply continue your unsettling journey through the prison. If you choose incorrectly, you’ll need to navigate a path filled with enemy monsters to a room in the corner where a ladder awaits. With speed and a bit of luck, you can often do this without engaging in combat. Climb the ladder, and you’ll find yourself back at the doors to the yard, ready for another attempt.
With these solutions, you can now confidently tackle the Silent Hill 2 gallows problem. For more assistance on James’s quest to find Mary, check out our guides on escaping the Silent Hill 2 bug room or how to acquire Pyramid Head’s Great Knife in Silent Hill 2. Don’t forget to read our Silent Hill 2 review to see what we thought of this terrifying horror game remake!